Recommendations & Conclusions
31 items
2
Recommendation
36th Report - Jobcentres
Accepted
We are concerned that the Department will continue to not have enough work coaches to meet the growing demand for support. The shortage of work coaches has been caused by the Department securing inadequate funding from HM Treasury and by recruitment and retention challenges. Looking ahead, the demand for work …
Government response. The government agrees and commits to developing a strategic workforce plan within 12 months as part of the Jobs and Careers Service Programme, which will anticipate workforce needs and ensure appropriate work coach resourcing.
HM Treasury
3
Recommendation
36th Report - Jobcentres
Accepted in Part
The Department does not publish data on work coach numbers or into-work rates, which means it is not clear how well local jobcentres are supporting claimants to work. The Department publishes data on its Stat-Xplore platform relating to the number of claimants in each Universal Credit labour market category at …
Government response. The government agrees to develop a labour market publication strategy to increase transparency, expecting to publish into-work rates and some labour market data at a Jobcentre Plus District level. However, it will not publish data on Work Coach numbers as …
HM Treasury
4
Recommendation
36th Report - Jobcentres
Accepted
The Department has not evaluated the effectiveness of its approach to supporting claimants to work for a decade. The Department does not have an up-to-date evidence base from which to assess the suitability of its current approach to supporting claimants to work. Its most recent evaluation is from 2015, before …
Government response. The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, pointing to its recently published Evidence and Evaluation Strategy 2025. It details ongoing Universal Credit trials with findings due by the end of 2026, and an evaluation strategy for the Jobs …
HM Treasury
5
Recommendation
36th Report - Jobcentres
Accepted
It is not fully clear how the Department is spending the £55 million allocated for 2025–26 to test elements of the new jobs and careers service. In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the government allocated £55 million for the Department to invest in developing and testing elements of the jobs and …
Government response. The government agrees and confirms the recommendation is implemented, providing a detailed breakdown of how the £55 million for 2025-26 has been allocated across tests and trials (£15m), alternative delivery solutions (£5m), digital activity (£20m), and resources/staffing (£13m, including a …
HM Treasury
6
Recommendation
36th Report - Jobcentres
Accepted in Part
Achieving an employment rate of 80% is likely to be very challenging. The Government’s long-term ambition is to achieve an employment rate of 80%. This would represent a considerable increase – from May 2018 to October 2024, the employment rate fluctuated between 74.3% and 76.4%. The Department says that in …
Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation, stating it has published intermediate metrics and will publish annual progress updates starting Autumn 2025 related to the 80% employment ambition. However, it defers setting out the specific contribution of jobcentres, stating it will …
HM Treasury
1
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Not Addressed
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Work and Pensions (the Department) on jobcentres.1
Government response. The committee item is a factual statement about taking evidence from the DWP. The government responds by stating it takes its responsibilities seriously regarding work coaches and details letters sent to the committee, claiming the 'recommendation' is implemented, despite the …
HM Treasury
7
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Not Addressed
For the first six months of 2024–25, the Department assessed it would need on average 18,900 work coaches but had funding for between 17,600 and 18,000.9 The Department told us it forecasts demand on a six-monthly cycle but plans resource over a longer timeframe – funding for 2024–25 was originally …
Government response. Despite an initial statement of agreement, the government's response discusses a Water Reform Bill and the establishment of a single water regulator, which is entirely unrelated to the committee's conclusion about work coach numbers and funding.
HM Treasury
8
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
The Department has also had fewer work coaches than it has had funding for, which it attributed to factors such as challenges with recruiting and retaining staff. The turnover rate for the Department’s executive officers working in jobcentres, including work coaches, was 8.5% in 2023–24.12 The Department told us that …
HM Treasury
9
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
In November 2024, the government published its Get Britain Working white paper that set out plans for reforming employment support including a new jobs and careers service, bringing together jobcentres with the National Careers Service in England. The Department aims to create a universal service that will provide support for …
HM Treasury
10
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
We asked the Department how realistic its plan is for a universal jobs and careers service given the current shortage of work coaches. The Department said it envisages a ‘pyramid’ with, at the top, a larger number of people who can access support and self-serve digitally and with minimal contact …
HM Treasury
11
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
In March 2025, the government published a green paper, Pathways to Work, which set out proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support, with the aim of providing tailored employment, health and skills support for claimants with a work-limiting health condition or disability.21 The Department plans to redeploy …
HM Treasury
12
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
To help deal with the shortfall in work coaches, the Department allows jobcentres that are under the most pressure in terms of work coaches’ caseload to reduce the support they provide for claimants. In September 2023, the Department introduced a local flexibility framework which sets out five measures that jobcentres …
HM Treasury
13
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
We asked the Department how concerned we should be that over half of jobcentres have had to reduce their support for Universal Credit claimants due to the shortage of work coaches. The Department told us that we should not be concerned because, where there are not enough 20 Letter from …
HM Treasury
14
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
However, the Department also told us that it was concerned about the into-work rate, which has been declining since 2021–22.28 The rate increased to 9.7% in 2021–22, but declined in the following two years, to 8.2% in 2023–24. The Department said that external factors, like the labour market and the …
HM Treasury
15
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
The Department said that, even when implementing all the measures up to level five of its flexibility framework, including to meet all Intensive Work Search claimants fortnightly after 13 weeks rather than some of them weekly, its work coaches can still have quality conversations with claimants and achieve the same …
HM Treasury
16
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
The Department is examining whether some of the measures in the local flexibility framework could be made permanent to help manage demand pressures without adversely affecting outcomes for claimants.34 We asked the Department what measures could be made permanent and when. It said it would see what the impact of …
HM Treasury
17
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
The Department requires its jobcentres to provide a nationally consistent, centrally defined service that it judges will maximise employment and earnings for Universal Credit claimants.36 In November 2023, the Department introduced a new performance framework to monitor the operation of its jobcentres. The framework includes six key performance indicators of …
HM Treasury
18
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
In terms of the performance of jobcentres over time, the average monthly into-work rate reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic from 8.8% in 2018–19 to 7.2% in 2020–21. The rate then increased to 9.7% in 2021–22, but declined in the following two years, to 8.2% in 2023–24.38 There is substantial variation …
HM Treasury
19
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
We asked the Department how concerned it was about the drop in the into-work rate nationally in the last two years and what the reasons are for the decrease. The Department told us it was concerned but that there are external factors that impact the into-work rate, including job vacancy …
HM Treasury
20
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
We asked the Department why it does not publish information at a more granular level, particularly relating to the shortfall of work coaches. The Department told us that there is a lot of data available on its Stat-Xplore platform including data about Universal Credit caseload at jobcentre level.43 In written …
HM Treasury
21
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
We followed this up by asking whether within districts there are areas that are performing better. The Department confirmed that within districts there is variation in headcount numbers at jobcentre level.47 The Department emphasised that it manages performance and attrition at all levels and that there is collaboration between jobcentres …
HM Treasury
22
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
The Department designed its central support model at jobcentres based on evaluations it carried out from 2005 to 2015. These evaluations were randomised control trials that assessed the impact of adjusting aspects of the meetings between claimants and work coaches.49 The Department acknowledges that there are limitations in the evidence …
HM Treasury
23
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
We asked the Department why its evidence base for its current model for supporting claimants is so old. The Department told us it is challenging to develop a new evidence base using randomised control trials, which it describes as the gold standard, bearing in mind how long it takes to …
HM Treasury
24
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
The Department is working to enhance its evidence base and explore the impact of potential changes to its support model. It has carried out research to identify which aspects of work search review meetings between work coaches and claimants make them effective, including the effectiveness of different means of interaction …
HM Treasury
25
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Acknowledged
We asked how the Department will make sure it provides a better service without evidence.53 The Department said it wants to conduct evaluations in a different way, to get test results quickly in order to help develop the new jobs and careers service. The Department said it is comparing and …
Government response. The government is using test and learn principles, including Pathfinders, to test the Jobs and Careers Service, and its evaluation strategy is under development with research to be published at a future date.
HM Treasury
26
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Acknowledged
In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the government allocated £55 million for the Department to invest in developing new digital services and testing elements of the jobs and careers service in 2025–26.55 We asked the Department what progress has been made in deciding how to use the extra £55 million in …
Government response. The government outlines how the allocated £55 million is being spent on testing and developing the new Jobs and Careers Service, including pathfinder projects, digital services, and staff training.
HM Treasury
27
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Acknowledged
The Department explained it has a phased approach to the jobs and careers service. It said its ‘pathfinder projects’ are part of the first phase, testing new ways of delivering its services. In phase two, in 2026–27, it told us it would roll out further the things it has tried …
Government response. The government is using test and learn principles, including Pathfinders, to test the Jobs and Careers Service, and its evaluation strategy is under development with research to be published at a future date.
HM Treasury
28
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Acknowledged
The Department emphasised that its investment committee closely controls how it allocates the £55 million funding, and that it commits money for different proposals in packets. The Department also said, however, that it has not fully allocated the £55 million in extra funding, and that funding 55 C&AG’s Report, para …
Government response. The government explains how the £55 million is being allocated for the Jobs and Careers Service, including testing, digital activity and staff training, and that re-allocations are possible within the programme governance.
HM Treasury
29
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Accepted
In its November 2024 white paper Get Britain Working, the government described its plans to reform employment support as the first steps to achieving its long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate. From May 2018 to October 2024, the employment rate fluctuated between 74.3% and 76.4%.61
Government response. The government states that it has already set out a roadmap in the Get Britain Working White Paper and highlights the Pathways to Work programme and other cross-government initiatives that contribute to the 80% employment rate ambition.
HM Treasury
30
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Accepted
We asked the Department how big a challenge it will be to get to 80%. The Department told us that it clearly is a stretching aspiration. The Department explained that, to achieve an 80% employment rate, its focus is on areas and groups where the employment rate is below 80%, …
Government response. The government states that it has already set out a roadmap in the Get Britain Working White Paper and highlights the Pathways to Work programme and other cross-government initiatives that contribute to the 80% employment rate ambition.
HM Treasury
31
Conclusion
36th Report - Jobcentres
Acknowledged
We asked the Department how it would measure the success of the new service and how it would measure the sustainability and quality of employment that people move into.63 In April 2025, the Department published Get Britain Working outcomes setting out eight outcome metrics that the government will monitor as …
Government response. The government highlights that it has published a set of intermediate metrics alongside the 80% employment rate target, and it will publish annual progress updates against these, starting in Autumn 2025.
HM Treasury