Tag: DWP

Job experts out and about to spread work message

Jobcentre staff are getting out and about and taking work support direct to jobseekers as part of a new blitz targeting unusual locations –from football clubs to prisons and homeless shelters.

jobcentre (3)Employment numbers have reached a record 30.8 million and the number of people on the main out-of-work benefits is the lowest it’s been for a quarter of a century and now Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches – the government’s ‘army of jobs experts’ – are heading out to meet the public in children’s centres, youth hubs, homeless shelters, and rural work clubs to offer targeted support to people who need it most.

This more direct approach to helping jobseekers back to work has also seen roaming Work Coaches partnering up with professional football clubs, including Arsenal, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur, to set up schemes that help young people build confidence and skills to prepare them to find work.

And they are setting up shop in prisons across the country to help prisoners who are soon to leave custody prepare for a new life away from crime and in work.

New figures released last week show that an average of 1,500 more people were in work every day over the last year and the number of people on the main out-of-work benefits is down by more than 850,000 to under 4 million – the lowest it has been since 1990.

Employment Minister Esther McVey said: “Our hardworking Jobcentre Plus staff have made a huge contribution to Britain’s jobs success this year. By doing things differently, and getting out to where jobseekers are, they’re helping thousands into work every day.

“We have broken record after record in 2014 – with huge falls in youth and long-term unemployment and the highest number of women in work on record.

“This new approach is working. What we can see at the end of the year is that our welfare reforms are ensuring that people have the skills and opportunities to move into work.

“But behind these record figures there are countless stories of individual hard work and determination – stories of people turning their lives around, of families who are now feeling more secure over the Christmas period with a regular wage, and of young people escaping unemployment and building a career.”

Specialist Work Coaches are based in prisons across the country where they can help parolees sign up to Jobseeker’s Allowance up to 6 weeks before they are released. Once they sign up, they are automatically placed on to the Work Programme to help them build up skills and experience.

The Work Programme is designed to get the hardest to help jobseekers back into work and has now helped 368,000 long-term unemployed claimants find sustainable work.

Jobcentre Plus staff have also helped budding entrepreneurs to set up more than 60,000 new businesses through the government’s New Enterprise Allowance scheme, which helps jobseekers, lone parents and people on sickness benefits, with a good idea, to start up their own business.

Since 2011, more than 360,000 people of all ages have taken up opportunities through employer-led sector-based work academies, or work experience placements through Jobcentre Plus, to give them a job taster and a guaranteed job interview.

In Bootle, Merseyside, Jobcentre Plus has staff working from the local Youth Hub to provide guidance and advice to young people in the area and to offer chances to gain skills and experience through Sector-based Work Academies – which are employer-led training courses that lead to a guaranteed job interview.

And in Scotland, Stranraer Jobcentre Plus staff have established weekly work clubs in rural areas to provide help on budgeting, mock interviews, CVs and cover letters, and job applications.

Have you been supported into work this year? Has Jobcentre Plus helped you start your own business? Get in touch!

Oldies fly the flag for fuller working lives

Watford, north Dorset and the Shetland Islands lead the way against outdated stereotypes of older workers …

older workersNew figures reveal areas as diverse as Watford, north Dorset and the Shetland Islands to be leading the charge against outdated stereotypes of older workers and flying the flag for fuller working lives.

They are among local authority districts across Great Britain with the highest rates of employment amongst older workers, according to new information collated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

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Watford – home to the headquarters of several major companies – boasts the highest estimated employment rate amongst 50 to 64s.

Latest figures for April 2013 and March 2014 show Watford recorded 89.5% of this age group in work. The Shetlands followed closely on 88.3% and north Dorset on 87.2%.

Other high-performing areas include Stroud in Gloucestershire (85.3%), south Northamptonshire (84.6%), Horsham in Sussex (84.2%), and Tandridge in Surrey (84.2%). The remainder of the top ten is made up by east Northamptonshire (84.1%), Broxbourne in Hertfordshire (83.2%) and Stevenage in Hertfordshire (83.0%).

The City of Edinburgh is upper mid-table (72.7%), slightly ahead of East Lothian (72.5%) and Midlothian (71.7%) with Dundee (53.9%) and Glasgow (53.8%) trailing further behind.

oldie workingDWP Minister Steve Webb said: The business case for ignoring outdated and inaccurate stereotypes and giving older workers a chance to thrive is absolutely compelling, and these figures show that in some parts of the country that message is being received loud and clear. What we must do now is extend the positive record we’re seeing in counties like Hertfordshire across the whole of the UK.

“If we want to ensure people have comfortable retirements, that business thrives and that our economy continues to recover, then equality of employment opportunity for older workers isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it is essential.

“Another crucial point is that a person dropping out of the workforce early can have a devastating effect on their retirement income. We owe it to people to do everything possible to ensure they can benefit from a full working life.”

Dr Ros Altmann, the government’s Business Champion for Older Workers, said: “Older workers have a huge amount to offer any workforce. They generally have unrivalled life and work experience, often boast a broad range of skills and, according to many employers I’ve spoken to, tend to display great attitude and work ethic.

“Of course, there can be unique challenges faced by older workers – particularly in manual or strenuous jobs – but there is no reason why a person in their 50s or 60s cannot re-train to take on a different role with their existing employer, cut down their working hours, or even opt for a complete career change.

“We need to get rid of the traditional stereotype which suggests that people over 50 are too old to learn or change and are expected not to work, even if they want to. There can be a world of opportunities for older workers which can enrich their lives and also boost our economy.”

older workerAs well as highlighting the areas with the best records, the figures also show those places with the furthest to go to develop a labour market which makes full use of the skills and experience of their older working age population.

Areas in which around half of older workers are out of work include Hyndburn in Lancashire (48.1%), Rossendale in Lancashire (48.2%), west Somerset (49.2%), Tower Hamlets in London (50.6%) and Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria (51.7%).

The prevalence of particular industries can make the challenge of providing equal opportunities for older workers more difficult in some areas of the country than others.

In types of work where this is the case, the government is keen to encourage employers to consider the benefits of retraining or altering the role of older employees, in order to keep their skills and experience on board.

Earlier this year, the government launched Fuller Working Lives, a piece of research and analysis highlighting the vast benefits that could be reaped by individuals, industry and the overall economy by tackling unemployment and economic inactivity amongst the over-50s. It also set out some of the specific factors which can often lead to older workers being forced out – or kept out – of employment early, before they reach State Pension age.

This followed landmark changes previously brought in by the coalition government to abolish the default retirement age – which previously forced many people to give up work before they felt ready – and extend the right to request flexible working to all employees.

The DWP is also promoting retraining opportunities available to older jobseekers through the Jobcentre Plus network.

There are around 650,000 vacancies waiting to be filled in the UK economy at any one time, with continuing economic growth creating new ones every day.
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Jobseekers must ‘hit the ground running’

New rules ‘treat people like adults’

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Simply ‘signing-on’ for benefits will be a thing of the past under new rules coming into force at the end of this month which will mean jobseekers will have to do more to find work.

Employment Minister Esther McVey has hailed the new rules as a ‘fundamental shift in expectations’ which helps put to an end the one-way street to benefits where people start claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) by just signing-on without first taking steps to make themselves attractive to employers.

From the end of this month, jobseekers will be expected to take the first basic steps to make themselves employable before meeting with a Jobcentre Plus adviser. More regular meetings with their adviser – weekly instead of fortnightly – are also planned ‘so they get more support up front’.

Minister for Employment Esther McVey (pictured below)  said: “With the economy growing, unemployment falling and record numbers of people in work, now is the time to start expecting more of people if they want to claim benefits. It’s only right that we should ask people to take the first basic steps to getting a job before they start claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance – it will show they are taking their search for work seriously.

This is about treating people like adults and setting out clearly what is expected of them so they can hit the ground running. In return, we will give people as much help and support as possible to move off benefits and into work because we know from employers that it’s the people who are prepared and enthusiastic who are most likely to get the job.”

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To prepare for their first interview with a Jobcentre Plus adviser, jobseekers will be asked to do things like preparing a CV, setting up an email address and registering for the government’s new jobs website. This change will mean people start their JSA claim ready to look for work and will show they are serious about finding a job as quickly as possible.

People who need it will also have more regular meetings with their Jobcentre Plus adviser – weekly rather than fortnightly – to ensure they are doing everything they can to look for work and to quickly identify any gaps in their worksearch.

All new JSA claimants will also now have a quarterly review with their adviser where they will review their progress and job goals to identify what more they can do to move into work. This will mirror reviews that are carried out in the workplace to look at achievements and areas for development.

The Westminster government says that the employment picture is improving across the country. They say the  new measures are being introduced as figures show the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by over 363,000 on the year,  the largest annual fall since 1998. The number of young people claiming JSA has been falling for the last 21 months.

Office for National Statistics figures also show that the employment rate has hit a 5-year high and a record 30.19 million people are now in jobs. Private sector employment has increased by 1.73 million since 2010, showing the government’s long-term economic plan is proving successful.

The latest figures also show the number of job vacancies increased in the last 3 months by 23,000 to 588,000.

The number of people who are unemployed fell by 63,000 in the last 3 months, with the number of people who have been unemployed for over a year falling by 38,000. The number of unemployed young people also fell by 29,000 and has been falling now for the last 6 months.

The government says it is committed to helping people off benefits and into work and the vast majority of people move off JSA quickly – over 75% of people end their JSA claim within 6 months.

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Do you think the new rules help get more people into work? Let us know ..

What a drag – impersonator jailed for benefits fraud

A female impersonator who worked in clubs and made a YouTube video of his act when claiming disability benefits and failing to pay tax was jailed for six months yesterday.

Mark Hawthorn of Tamworth, Staffordshire – stage name Aunt Tilly – claimed more than £88,000 in disability benefits and failed to pay almost £4,000 in Income Tax and National Insurance.

A joint investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found Hawthorn performed under the stage name of “Tilly” in various drag acts in clubs across the West Midlands, Blackpool and Bournemouth whilst claiming disability and housing benefits.

Adrian Farley, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation, HMRC, said:

“Hawthorn exploited the benefits and tax systems in two ways – by fabricating the effects of a medical condition to get disability benefits, saying he was unfit for work, and then blatantly working in live stage shows and failing to declare his earnings. He even went on to produce a YouTube video of his many female impersonations and featured in a three-page spread in Midlands Zone magazine.

This prosecution will send a strong message that along with our partners in DWP we will bring those stealing from the UK economy and the British taxpayer to justice.”

Senior DWP Fraud Manager Sian Fellowes said:

“Benefit thieves are costing the taxpayer almost £1 billion per year. Disability Living Allowance is intended to help people who have severe difficulties with their care and mobility, and it is clear that in this case no such difficulties existed. We will continue to investigate allegations of benefit fraud very rigorously and bring people who abuse the benefit system to justice.”

Hawthorn claimed disability benefits from the DWP for the past 10 years to which he was not entitled and failed to declare his earnings to HMRC.