Recommendation 6

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 some local areas the 80% employment rate is already being achieved. Its focus will be on those areas with a much lower employment rate, and the characteristics of the individuals in those areas. In April 2025, the Department published eight metrics focusing on places and groups with employment rates of less than 80%, which it will use to track performance in the context of the reforms set out in the 2024 white paper. For example, there is a metric about reducing the gap between the median employment rate and the bottom 10% in terms of localities, plus other metrics that are about characteristics, such as bringing down the health-related inactivity rate and reducing the proportion of young people not in education, training or employment. The Department has said it will publish data on these metrics annually, starting in October 2025. recommendation The Department should, within six months: a. work with other departments to publish a roadmap for achieving the government’s long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate; and b. set out the specific contribution of jobcentres to this ambition, including the arrangements for monitoring their performance. 7 1 Availability of work coaches and support Introduction