In this review the progress of the EPWP towards its original planned objectives is thoroughly examined. In the foundation documents mention is made of persistent structural unemployment, the need for decent work for all, and the objective of halving unemployment by 2014. Against this background the targets of the EPWP are fairly limited to those associated with a short term labour market intervention. This leads to a constant tension in public expectations and political statements between these modest targets set out at its inception and the wider social context. This analysis attempts to resolve this tension by examining the EPWP in two contexts: within its original parameters and (as the original framers) against the wider social background.