Work for Those Who Can Support for Those who Cannot The UK Experience Margaret Grierson

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Work for Those Who Can Support for Those who
CannotThe UK ExperienceMargaret Grierson
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Jobseekers Allowance Activation Regime

• Internationally recognised model key role in
  increasing numbers finding work and reducing time
  on benefit
• Rights (benefit and jobsearch support) and
  responsibilities (actively look for work each
  week), backed up by conditionality and sanctions
• Personal adviser interview at outset leading to
  Jobseekers Agreement job goals, steps to
  achieve and availability for work
• Regular face-to-face jobsearch reviews, and
  personal adviser interviews at key stages
• Increased support for more disadvantaged
  longer-term unemployed and those with additional
  barriers

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Active Labour Market Measures focus on individual
needs with regular contact during the
unemployment cycle
No. of customers
New Claim
Jobseekers Agreement
Work Focused Interview
Fortnightly Interventions
Restart (13 week)
Fortnightly Interventions
Restart Adviser (6 month)
New Deal (18-24 and 50) Adviser (6 months)
New Deal 25 Adviser (18 months)
Fortnightly Interventions
Intensity of help
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The results are good - most people leave the
unemployment register quickly

• 60 of unemployment benefit claimants leave the
  register within 3 months
• 80 leave within 6 months
• 90 leave within 9 months
• 95 leave within a year

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.. and at low cost
Expenditure on labour market programmes as a of
GDP
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Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) Labour
Market InterventionsNew Claim

• New Jobseekers Interview All customers agree
  realistic, achievable job goals, identification
  of skills needs and barriers to work
• Jobseekers Agreement (JSAg) Information from the
  NJI forms basis of discussions at every
  attendance. Formalises rights and
  responsibilities
• Jobseekers Agreement Not legally binding but
  fundamental to JSA claim. Must be agreed and
  signed by jobseeker and personal adviser

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JSA Labour Market InterventionsFortnightly Job
Review

• Jobseekers required to attend every 2 weeks
• Must show they are actively seeking work
• Must provide evidence of job search activity
• If not doing enough or restricting availability
  referred to Decision Maker for possible sanction

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JSA Labour Market Interventions13/26 Week
Reviews

• In depth discussions with a personal adviser
• Review actively seeking activities
• Broadening of job search
• JSAg updated
• Job submissions
• Increased support of 6 x weekly interviews
• Further in depth interviews every 6 months

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New Deal

• After 26 weeks of JSA for 18-24 year olds
• After 78 weeks of JSA for those aged 25
• Both mandatory for JSA customers
• Provides a backstop to prevent a life on benefits
• Agreed Action Plan shows steps to take into work
• Action Plan based on JSAg goals
• Intensive help to support back to work

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Customer Activation The Role of External
Providers

• Greater focus on meeting individual needs
  requires more flexible service delivery options
• Need to work more actively with Private and Third
  Sectors
• Importance of clear hand-offs between Public
  Employment Service and External Providers
• Personalised one to one advice on CV writing,
  interview skills
• Provision of sector-specific training or
  certification

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Personal Advisers

• Key to the delivery of services
• Personalised approach based on assessment of
  client needs
• Understanding clients difficulties in finding
  work managing expectations
• Broad knowledge of local area
• Single point of contact

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Evaluation

• What Works
• Personal advisers are critical to success
• Advisory interviews and active signing help to
  speed up the return to work
• Frequency of face-to-face intervention important
  to maintaining off-flows
• Job search activity is central to the
  intervention process
• Proactive contact with both employers and
  customers
• Discretionary financial support for interview
  clothes, childcare, tools etc

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Next Steps

• Extending activation to those customer groups who
  need more help inactive customers, lone parents,
  partners
• New measures to better link skills and employment
  will improve sustainability
• New commissioning strategy for third party
  provision to reward innovation, outputs and
  sustainability
• Greater adviser discretion and flexibility
• Increasing responsibilities for those who can
  work, with greater levels of support tailored to
  individual need e.g. through Flexible New
  Deal from next year
• Financial security for those out of work and
  actively seeking and for those who cannot work