Work Programme supports 62,000 into work in the past quarter
Data published by the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) today, shows that the Work Programme helped 62,000 people into work between April and June 2013. This brings the total number of people helped into work to 384,000, up from 321,000 as of the end of March 2013.
The ERSA data, which relates to the number of jobseekers who have started a job on the programme, for the first time shows the success rates of those who have been on the programme for the full two years. It also indicates that that young people are doing particularly well on the scheme, with over 100,000 18-24 year olds now having found some employment on the Work Programme.
Key points in this release include:
• 384,000 individual jobseekers have been supported into work up until the end of June 2013, compared to 1.3 million referred to the scheme overall. This is a 16 per cent increase on the 321,000 jobseekers who had entered work at the end of March 2013.
• 103,000 young people have had had at least one job on the Work Programme. For those young people who have been on the scheme for the full two years, 52 per cent have entered work, making it the best performing group on the scheme.
• 39 per cent of those who have been on the programme for the full two years have so far entered work, a good figure in comparison to previous welfare to work schemes.
• Job starts for those on Employment and Support Allowance remain lower than other groups. The level of need amongst participants on Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is greater than envisaged and it is taking longer to get them into work.
The data was collected from all 18 prime contractors of the Work Programme and show the number of people entering work, known as ‘Job Starts’. The government’s official dataset for the programme relates to ‘Job Outcomes’, which in most cases refer to the number of people on the scheme who have been in work for at least six months. ERSA estimates that around 70 per cent of those who have achieved at least one initial Job Start will go on to achieve a sustainable Job Outcome, making ERSA’s data a lead indicator of future performance.
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of ERSA said:
“Over the last two years, performance on the Work Programme has continued to build, with over 380,000 long term unemployed jobseekers now having found a job via the scheme. Our evidence indicates that over 70 percent of these will go into sustained employment, transforming their lives and saving millions of pounds for the taxpayer.”
Click here for the full report.
Notes to Editors
1. The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) is the trade association for those delivering or with an interest in welfare to work services. ERSA’s membership spans the private, voluntary and public sectors and ranges from large multi-nationals through to small specialist charities.
2. The Work Programme is the government’s largest back to work scheme and caters for the most disadvantaged jobseekers in the labour market. Further information about how the programme operates, including the financial model, is available in a Policy Briefing on ERSA’s website.
3. ERSA’s Work Programme Performance Report is designed to provide statistical information on the performance of the Work Programme. It provides information on ‘Job Starts’; the number of participants starting a job on the programme.
4. The Government’s official statistics on sustained Job Outcomes and Sustainments will be published at 9:30am on 26 September on DWP’s website.
5. ERSA is able to set up interviews with jobseekers who have found work, Work Programme providers and employers who are recruiting from the scheme. Case studies are available on ERSA’s website. Interviews with ERSA’s Chief Executive Kirsty McHugh are available on request.
