Considerable financial resources are spent on public employment policies and it is essential to measure their effectiveness. With this aim in mind, fresh data has been compiled by DARES (the French Ministry of Labour's Statistics Department) using a survey: the Panel of Employment Policy Beneficiaries. This study measured the effectiveness of Solidarity Employment Contracts (CES), Employment Initiative Contracts (CIE), and Employment Training and Placement Courses (SIFE «group training and integration»), comparing the return to employment of past beneficiaries, starting these schemes between late 1997 and mid-1999 and finishing in late 1999, with a control group of eligible job seekers. The selection bias has been minimised by pairing the beneficiary and control groups, against variables which influence participation in the schemes (family background and previous career, but also living standard and financial situation). The analysis of the responses collected up to March 2003 shows that on average the CIE is effective for returning to employment and improving living standards, while the CES and the SIFE group schemes do not significantly improve the careers of the beneficiaries compared with those of the control group. Nevertheless, taking part in CES or a SIFE group scheme can be beneficial for those aged between 26 and 49, in comparison with the careers of the control group.