MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee have called on the DWP to
reform the conditionality regime, including sanctions, placed on
jobseekers and people in work on Universal Credit. The Committee
also want to see a personalised action plan, which better
reflects their skills and experience, replace the Claimant
Commitment.
The recommendation comes in a new report published today by the
cross-party group of MPs examining the Government's planned
Jobcentre reforms that the Committee described as a ‘golden
opportunity' for their transformation.
As things stand, Universal Credit claimants must sign a
commitment to undertake certain activities, including a
requirement to spend 35 hours a week looking for work, to receive
their benefits and avoid sanctions. The work-search requirements
are ‘too generic and sometimes counterproductive' leaving people
‘feeling disempowered and unsupported', the report concluded,
adding that a personalised action plan should be co-developed
between the claimant and their work coach.
Efforts by the Government to reform Jobcentres were largely
welcomed in the report, particularly refocusing Jobcentres' core
role away from benefits monitoring towards employment support.
The merger of Job centres with the National Careers Service (NCS)
was seen as a real positive and which the Committee will report
on later this week. However, the Committee believe that there is
the opportunity for more ‘transformational' change.
As part of the call for a new sanctions regime, the Committee
recommended that DWP consider safeguarding and ‘trauma-informed
approaches' tailored to the personal circumstances of claimants
in decisions about sanctions. In addition, MPs recommended a
return to the pre-2022 conditionality regime where claimants were
given 3 months to find work, rather than 4 weeks they have now.
The extra time, the report suggested, would improve the chances
of claimants finding a suitable job for their skills and
circumstances, and increase the likelihood that they would remain
employed. The report found that the previously operated ‘any job'
approach created poor levels of job retention, which at a stroke
damaged trust in the system for claimants and incentives for
employers to find new recruits from Jobcentres as they face
increased costs from further rounds of recruitment.
Work and Pensions Committee Chair, said, “Providing
the right support to get people back into the workplace assists
not only individual claimants, but businesses and wider society
too.”
“While the DWP has made some welcome progress in making a more
supportive system for jobseekers, more can be done to really
transform the system and encourage people back into work.”
“We need to help end the cycle of claiming benefits, being pushed
into any job, and losing it when it is unsuitable or insecure.
This undermines the service the Jobcentre is meant to be
providing for people and businesses. Who can expect to find a job
after four weeks, let alone a decent and secure one? Extending
the ‘permitted period' from 4 weeks to 3 months will improve the
chances of people finding a job that works for them, giving them
independence and getting them off benefits long-term.”
“This should be accompanied by a significant personalisation of
both the support claimants receive and the conditions of their
job search. For example, someone with a health condition should
not be sanctioned for not taking a job that they cannot do
because of that condition just because of a one-size-fits-all
approach. A more personalised, flexible approach will improve
employment outcomes, give people more control over their lives
and help to restore their dignity.”
Of the Jobcentre's 17,000 work coaches the report concluded that
they were an ‘incredible' asset, but could be deployed better.
The 10 minutes for interviews with claimants was ‘not nearly
enough to address the needs of claimants who are further from
employment'. As a result, MPs on the Committee have called for a
review of the work coach model and the difference they make to
employment outcomes which should include consideration of greater
autonomy.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- You can find out more about the Committee's inquiry into
Reforming Jobcentres here.
- There are more than 600 Jobcentres across the Great Britain.
- In October 2024, 2.5m people on Universal Credit were earning
less than the threshold whereby their claim would be subject to
conditions, which could include a specified number of hours of
looking for work, or regular meetings with a work coach.
