Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Accepted in Part
Add long-term employment and job quality metrics to Jobcentre performance framework and incentivise providers.
Recommendation
To encourage Jobcentres to adopt longer-term thinking, DWP should add long-term employment metrics to its Jobcentre performance monitoring framework, such as whether people are still in work six or twelve months after leaving Jobcentres. DWP should also introduce metrics that can measure job quality, in addition to the information it already collates on increasing earnings. DWP should ensure that it incentivises employment support providers to focus on long-term outcomes and supporting those further from the labour market. (Recommendation, Paragraph 99)
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, stating they already measure sustained earnings over 3 and 6 months as part of their framework. However, they do not intend to introduce job quality metrics due to data limitations and suitability concerns, but are committed to developing robust performance measures for the new Jobs and Careers Service.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
Partially accept We recognise the importance of long-term employment outcomes and job quality to our claimants. Our Jobcentre Performance Framework is aligned with departmental priorities and Get Britain Working outcomes, supporting a focus on meaningful and sustainable employment and in work progression. As part of our Jobcentre Performance Framework, to understand how UC claimants are performing in the labour market, DWP already measures whether individuals on UC entering work have sustained earnings over both 3 and 6 months after moving into work, in addition to the into work rate which measures the number of claimants who move into work within a month. The Jobs and Careers Service will enable everyone to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The government is committed to developing robust performance measures for the new Jobs and Careers Service but does not currently intend to introduce measures of the quality of jobs that claimants move into. Views on the quality of a job depend in part on individual views of how suitable that job is to a person’s circumstances and preferences. DWP does not have access to the data required to produce such a measure and does not feel it is appropriate to place additional burdens on business and/or customers to obtain this information. The government is taking action to improve the quality and security of work through the Plan to Make Work Pay.