Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Achieving an 80% national employment rate remains a significantly stretching aspiration for the Department.
Conclusion
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%, and that it is acting to narrow the gap through its planned reforms. It said that there are areas and localities with an 80% employment rate, but there are also some with a much lower rate.62
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 4 June 2026. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗