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27/11/2012
UK Employment Programme Misses Target
The UK government’s welfare-to-work programme has failed to hit its target, according to official figures.
The programme pays charities and firms to help find jobs for people who are long-term unemployed.
But the target of 5.5% was missed and only 3.53% of people found a job for six months or more.
Ministers have said the programme was still in its "early days" and said the programme was getting people into work. Labour say the scheme has "comprehensively failed".
The figures cover the 13 months from June 2011 to July 2012 and indicate that out of 878,000 people on the programme, only 31,000 found a job for six months or more.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said providers should be getting 5.5% of people on the programme into sustained employment.
The DWP said over half of jobseekers who joined the scheme in June and July 2011 had spent some time off benefits.
Employment minister Mark Hoban said: "It's still early days, but already thousands of lives are being transformed."
He added: "One in four people have been in work, more than half of the early starters have been off benefit and performance is improving.
"Previous schemes paid out too much up front regardless of success but, by only paying providers for delivering results, the work programme is actually offering the taxpayer real value for money.
"Clearly these figures only give a snapshot picture as we're one year in, and the work programme offers support to claimants for two years, but these results are encouraging and something providers can look to build on."
He said there would be a "build-up of performance" the longer the scheme was running.
(IT/GK)
The programme pays charities and firms to help find jobs for people who are long-term unemployed.
But the target of 5.5% was missed and only 3.53% of people found a job for six months or more.
Ministers have said the programme was still in its "early days" and said the programme was getting people into work. Labour say the scheme has "comprehensively failed".
The figures cover the 13 months from June 2011 to July 2012 and indicate that out of 878,000 people on the programme, only 31,000 found a job for six months or more.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said providers should be getting 5.5% of people on the programme into sustained employment.
The DWP said over half of jobseekers who joined the scheme in June and July 2011 had spent some time off benefits.
Employment minister Mark Hoban said: "It's still early days, but already thousands of lives are being transformed."
He added: "One in four people have been in work, more than half of the early starters have been off benefit and performance is improving.
"Previous schemes paid out too much up front regardless of success but, by only paying providers for delivering results, the work programme is actually offering the taxpayer real value for money.
"Clearly these figures only give a snapshot picture as we're one year in, and the work programme offers support to claimants for two years, but these results are encouraging and something providers can look to build on."
He said there would be a "build-up of performance" the longer the scheme was running.
(IT/GK)
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