Fewer than half of New Deal leavers in Scotland went into a job, and of those who did a quarter soon lost or left it. That is the stark finding of a survey of 1,000 early members of the Government’s employment-priming programme conducted by the Policy Studies Institte. But the survey of New Deal entrants at the end of 1998 and beginning of 1999 found that two-thirds said the scheme was useful, and half said it had improved their chances of getting a good job. There will be a follow-up of 15 month’s more experience.
