The DWP has confirmed plans to convert the centres from a ” one-size-fits-all benefits administration service” into a national jobs, employment and careers service that can provide advice to help people get into work
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced a huge shake-up to Jobcentres across the UK in a bid to get more people into work.
The benefits department confirmed plans to convert the centres from a ” one-size-fits-all benefits administration service” into a national jobs, employment and careers service. The new service aims to provide advice to help people get into work and progress in their careers. Further plans will be unveiled this week as part of the Get Britain Working White Paper.
The announcement came after the DWP Secretary of State Liz Kendall said the UK’s 650 job centres were no longer “fit for purpose”. In an interview with the Observer, she said: “Employers are desperate to recruit. People are desperate to earn money and get on in their jobs. So we need big change. We need to see change in our Jobcentres from a one-size-fits-all benefit administration service to a genuine public employment service. It’s not fit for purpose and it has to change.”
The plans are to overhaul Jobcentres and combine them with the National Careers Service to create a public employment service. The DWP says the new service will become more digitalised and provide “more personalised support” to help people work. The DWP says the new approach will focus on supporting work progression and developing skills.
The new jobs and careers service will also work more closely with local areas to better integrate work, health, and skills support. The DWP plans for the Jobcentre to be an “active partner” with local organisations and services which it hopes will help encourage people who are economically inactive to look for work and training. The reforms will also oblige young people to pursue education or employment. These changes have come as the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in either category is at its highest level in a decade.
The department will begin testing new concepts and designs for its online services next year to determine how it can deliver tailored support. This is on top of the DWP’s plans to give Jobcentre work coaches AI tools so they can find the right information for their customers faster.
Labour’s DWP says the new Jobcentres will be driven by the expectation that people who “can work should work”. If they don’t engage with this, the department says there will be “clear consequences,” including benefit sanctions.
The DWP noted that the UK had the “highest levels of economic inactivity” now than before the Covid-19 pandemic. According to its figures, a near record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness, almost one and a half million are also unemployed, and nearly a million young people are out of work or not in education.
Labour’s shakeup aims to change the overall image of the Jobcentre. According to a new government-backed analysis, Jobcentres are often neglected by the vast majority of employers and avoided by those looking to find employment or a better post. It suggests that only a third of the public would use them for information about jobs. Liz Kendall said: “When only one in six employers use a Jobcentre to recruit, that is a major issue. We’ve got to change the way we work to make sure employers want to use us and that people looking for a job have got the skills employers need.
She added: “Through the bold changes in our Get Britain Working White Paper, we will boost employment, tackle inactivity and deliver growth for every part of our country.”
Darren Burns, Head of the Timpson Foundation added: “At Timpson, we support the plan to get more people back into work by helping them to find exciting and rewarding careers. Many of our existing colleagues have come to us through the Jobcentre and this is still the case today. We regularly work in close partnership with local Jobcentres to find amazing colleagues for our business and the support we receive is invaluable.”
