Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Accepted in Part
Rebuild employer trust by setting Jobcentre engagement targets and recruiting specialist liaison officers.
Recommendation
DWP needs to rebuild trust with employers. This will require making better use of its network of Jobcentres and the employer advisers who work in them. To start, DWP should consider setting individual Jobcentres targets for engaging local employers. This engagement should go beyond a surface-level relationship and focus on understanding the needs of these employers, providing information to improve work coaches’ job-matching. 56 As part of this, Jobcentres, particularly the existing employer advisers, should be encouraged to work with local employers to identify how their services can be made more demand-led. We believe that improving the quality of liaison with employers could improve the impact of Jobcentres, as could more innovative practice, such as Paisley Jobcentre’s ‘take a job to work day’. In areas of greatest need, DWP should consider recruiting an additional role of a specialist employer liaison officer, who would have experience of national and local business and would be tasked with building deep relationships with local employers and opening up more opportunities for good jobs for service users. (Recommendation, Paragraph 107)
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, supporting the intent to strengthen employer engagement and having launched an Employer Strategy. They are exploring metrics for local engagement and trialling a Recruitment Consultant role, but do not believe setting uniform targets for Jobcentres is appropriate.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
Partially accept We appreciate the emphasis on strengthening engagement with local employers and fully support the intent behind this recommendation. We agree that employer engagement is a critical lever for improving outcomes and recognise the value of encouraging proactive local approaches. As part of the creation of a Jobs and Careers Service, we have launched the Employer Strategy, which seeks to provide a better, more consistent commitment to employers. We are currently working through what metrics would drive the right employer engagement activity at a local JCP level, to ensure quality relationships which generate outcomes for both employers and customers. The Pathfinder in Wakefield is also trialling the role of a Recruitment Consultant, to understand whether a role of this type can add value in a local setting. However, we believe that setting uniform targets may not fully reflect the diversity of local labour market conditions and employer landscapes. Instead, our focus is on enabling quality, context-sensitive engagement that is responsive to local needs and opportunities. This approach allows teams to build meaningful relationships with employers that lead to sustainable and impactful outcomes. We remain committed to working collaboratively to share best practices and support continuous improvement in employer engagement across all areas.