A new parliamentary inquiry into Jobcentre reform has been launched by the Work and Pensions Committee, examining proposals from the Government’s Get Britain Working white paper published in November 2024.

The inquiry will be the first in a series scrutinising plans to help achieve the Government’s target of an 80 per cent employment rate. Key proposals include merging the National Career Service with Jobcentre Plus and reforming how Jobcentres operate across the country.

As part of the committee investigation, MPs will examine the current role of Jobcentres and customer experiences with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), while exploring how they can better collaborate with external organisations and careers advisers to support people into employment.

The Government is expected to publish additional details about the white paper proposals later this year. There are over 600 Jobcentres operating across the UK, with significant concentrations in specific regions.

Currently, the highest density of centres can be found in the central Scotland belt, South Wales, and the North East of England. Major urban areas including Birmingham and London also host substantial numbers of Jobcentre locations.

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These geographical concentrations mean reforms could have a particularly strong impact on Universal Credit, PIP and other benefit claimants in these regions, where higher numbers of people access Jobcentre services.

According to the white paper, Jobcentres have become “too focused on box ticking” around benefit claims, with services that are overly centralised, standardised and impersonal. The Government aims to shift focus away from benefit administration towards providing more personalised employment support.

A key objective is to transform Jobcentres into centres that prioritise skills development and career advancement. This represents a significant change from the current approach, which the white paper suggests has become too bureaucratic.

The reforms seek to create a more dynamic service that better serves jobseekers’ individual needs.

Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams shared: “We know that good work has many benefits to individuals and their families, but also to the local economy and for wider economic growth.”

Abrahams warned of the consequences of worklessness, noting that “for someone of working age not in work, whether that’s through unemployment or economic inactivity, there are long-term negative impacts on health and wellbeing.”

Current statistics show significant challenges, with the employment rate at 74.8 per cent and economic inactivity at 21.6 per cent.

The Committee Chair emphasised the urgent need to address skills development, saying: “There is no hiding from the challenge of ensuring people have the skills they need to access and progress in work, including the jobs of the future.”

Addressing the proposed reforms, Abrahams questioned: “The Government plans reforms to refocus the Jobcentre by folding in the work of the careers service.

“But due to the way the Jobcentre touches people’s lives, being both an access point for benefits and employment opportunities, getting this formula for reform right, if it needs it, is essential.”

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“But what should these reforms look like? And what would be the fairest and most effective changes that would help deliver a boost in employment, and people’s prospects?”

The Committee is now seeking wide-ranging input to help shape the reforms. “We want to hear broadly about the Jobcentre experience from customers, and from experts and careers advisors to help inform the debate on what precisely these reforms should look like,” Abrahams said.

The inquiry forms part of a broader workstream examining employment reforms and policy. A key aim is to advise the Government on best practices for Jobcentre reform.

The Committee is specifically seeking solutions that can achieve cross-party political consensus. This approach is designed to ensure any reforms implemented will have long-term stability.

The focus on building political agreement reflects the Committee’s commitment to creating lasting change in how Jobcentres operate.

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