- 100,000 disabled people and those with health conditions have
been supported to move closer to the labour market by Pathways to
Work advisers.
- New figures show landmark Government employment scheme has
reached a record milestone.
- Part of the Government's £3.5 billion plan to break down
barriers to opportunity and offer disabled people and those with
health conditions personalised employment support.
Around 100,000 disabled people and those with health conditions
are closer to work thanks to a voluntary Government programme
being delivered in every Jobcentre across the country, according
to new figures.
Pathways to Work advisers - first announced in March 2025 - offer
free, voluntary, and personalised help for people assessed as
having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity
(LCWRA).
Under the previous Government these claimants were left behind
with no support, and denied the help the need to move into work
and out of poverty.
Based in every Jobcentre across England, Scotland and Wales, the
specialist advisers identify the barriers people face, provide
skills training - such as IT upskilling - and signpost people to
work-based training schemes in sectors including construction,
hospitality and manufacturing.
With 2.7 million people on Universal Credit assessed as too sick
to work, over 170,000 of whom are aged 16 to 24, Pathways to Work
advisers are making a real and lasting difference, helping people
into good, secure jobs and boosting living standards across the
country.
The achievement sits as part of a larger Government focus on
supporting people up and down the country into good, secure work,
with 920 thousand more people in employment under this
government.
Work and Pensions Secretary said:
"Supporting someone instead of writing them off is life-changing,
and I've seen firsthand how our Pathways to Work advisers are
building people's confidence and helping them achieve their
ambitions.
"The welfare system we inherited left too many people without the
skills, support or hope they needed to get on in life and build a
career.
We were determined to change that, and we have. Now 100,000
people living with long-term conditions, disabilities and
personal challenges who want to work, have taken crucial steps
towards that.
Previous analysis shows participants are 40% more likely than
non-participants to be in work after two years - evidence that
the programme is making a meaningful and lasting difference to
people's lives, prospects and helping get the wider economy
firing on all cylinders.
The Pathways to Work adviser programme is part of the
Government's wider £3.5 billion investment in personalised
employment support for disabled people and those with health
conditions. This includes Connect to Work, which provides
intensive, tailored job-search assistance, employer engagement
and on- and off-the-job support, and WorkWell, which brings
together health and employment support to help people stay in or
return to work.
It also follows the launch of the £60 million Pathways to Work
Innovation Fund, in which businesses, charities and organisations
are invited to present bold ideas to help more people into work.
Deborah, who is deaf and manages several long-term health
conditions, had been out of work for 16 years. After connecting
with her local Pathways to Work adviser, she received tailored
support including help with her CV and identifying her
transferable skills. With the help of a BSL interpreter at her
appointments, Deborah went from feeling anxious about returning
to work to securing a part-time role as a Support Worker with the
Deaf Support Network - a job she began at the start of
February. She said:
"I wanted to find work that would help my finances and give me
more independence, but after 16 years I didn't know where to
start.
The support changed everything- my adviser believed in me and
helped me see what I could offer.
Now I'm starting a job supporting other deaf people, and it's
just the beginning. I'm already looking forward to building up my
hours and earning more."
The milestone comes as part of the Government's broader drive to
fix the broken welfare system it inherited, including:
- Rebalancing Universal Credit to remove the perverse
incentives that push people away from work.
- Introducing a Right to Try Work Guarantee, giving everyone
who can work the chance to do so without fear of losing their
benefits.
- Investing £3.5 billion in tailored employment support for
sick or disabled people.
- Increasing face-to-face assessments for health benefits.
- Tackling fraud and error in the benefits system, saving £14.6
billion over this Parliament
-
is due to bring his final
recommendations later this year on tackling the barriers young
people face, and the Timms review is looking at how to make
sure PIP is fit and fair for the future.
Notes to editors:
