Inside the Workday of Employment Consultants: New Insights on Strengthening Employment Services

Background Most employment consultants access professional development to learn about best practices in supported and customized employment that lead to individual integrated employment. However, little is known about how widely these best practices are actually implemented. Objective This article provides a window into how a typical 8-h workday of an employment consultant aligns with best practices in supported and customized employment. Methods We estimated employment consultants’ average daily time allocation to key activities and best practices using 12 months of data from 96 employment consultants across 13 employment programs in seven states. Results On a typical 8-h workday, employment consultants dedicate about two and a half hours on supports leading to hire—one hour in community settings, 29 min on specific best practices, and six minutes engaging with job seekers’ families and social networks. Administrative tasks account for nearly three hours per day. Time allocation varied widely across the 13 employment programs. Conclusion Employment consultants are key to helping job seekers achieve individual integrated employment. State funding agencies should equip them with data-based tools for self-reflection, goal setting, and action planning to drive continuous improvement.