Following this morning’s news that the Department for Work and Pensions has launched a new Way to Work campaign, bringing in new measures for jobseekers who have been out of work for four weeks, we caught up with Una Davis MIEP, our Deputy Director of Operations, to understand whether she thought this would have the desired effect.

Under existing rules claimants have 3 months to find a job in their preferred sector before facing the prospect of sanctions. New rules will mean that sanctions could begin 4 weeks after their initial Universal Credit claim, if they’re not making reasonable efforts to find and secure a job in any sector or turn down a job offer.

Una Davis said: 
“Introducing measures to this particular cohort will have little impact, a significant proportion of them will find work on their own and pushing people into vacant roles is of no benefit to the individual or the employer. Instead, the Government should be focussing on the long-term unemployed group and especially disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, who have been out of work for 12 months or more; by supporting them to upskill and fill some of the record vacancy levels the country is seeing. 

Investment in employment support programmes to support the longer-term unemployed groups is key. They require specialist support and interventions, which have a proven track record in helping this group into work.”