By Gavin Mackintosh-
Jobseekers need better opportunities to improve their ability to find better employment, the Department for Work And Pensions have admitted.
The operations and efficacy of the department is one of the most criticised among British voters, with many of those currently and previously unemployed condemning its overall operations as highly incompetent and unfit for purpose. Delayed payment, excessive sanctions, and ineffectiveness in getting payments for new claimants are among its main criticisms right across the UK.
Unemployed individuals need good opportunities to change jobs and take on more responsibility , the Work and Pensions Secretary finally admitted and take on more responsibility. An admission that has come quite late. Under Rudd’s new proposals, DWP staff will be trained to help assist workers to make informed decisions about new opportunities. One thing DWP staff is generally lacking is the good judgement to liaise with employers in helping those employable job seekers struggling to find work to gain employment.
Rudd’s acknowledges the need for DWP’s employer-facing staff need to be able to have effective conversations with local employers about progression and good quality flexible working. In fact, they need to be able to have communication with employers across the Uk in ensuring that employable jobseekers are provided with employment. The latest announcement comes in the face of limited progress in the employment growth of both employed and unemployed individuals in the Uk.
Amber Rudd also announced that the length of the maximum single sanction any benefit claimant could face will be reduced to 6 months. The length of sanctions given to those on job seekers is too long, with some unemployed people sanctioned for up to a year for missing appointments or being late. The Department Of Work And Pensions had no immediate response to this problem when questioned by The Eye Of Media.Com, but promised to respond by the end of the day. The response never arrived.
After committing in February to publishing an evaluation into how the sanctions system supports people into work, Rudd has expressed concern at the impact of the longest sanctions on some claimants’ ability to support themselves. Whether that concern is translated to any meaningful progress is yet to be seen. The government claims that under 3% of eligible Universal Credit claimants are currently undergoing a sanction for failing to meet their obligations like attending meetings and interviews without good reason.
The average sanction only lasts a month, according to government statistics, but other reliable sources have told The Eye Of Media.Com that this statistics is highly understated. Many individuals on job seekers have been sanctioned for much longer than a month , with many people sanctioned for more than six months. Also, in many cases, claimants on job seekers have to wait for close to 3 moths to receive payment in one of the worst systems of benefit payment in recent times the Uk has experienced.
Amber Rudd said:
Automation is driving the decline of banal and repetitive tasks.
So the jobs of the future are increasingly likely to be those that need human sensibilities: with personal relationships, qualitative judgement and creativity coming to the fore.
And there is a clear role for government to help people take advantages of these changes, and to help businesses create high-quality jobs.
I don’t underestimate the challenges ahead. Jobs are being made, remade and reshaped every day, as we find new ways to be useful to one another.
But I remain incredibly optimistic about what we can achieve.
Changing career, perhaps several times, in the midst of working life can be daunting – particularly if you have a family to look after. I know – that’s the path I took.
The work we are doing across government, and particularly in my department, is designed to support people through this.
We want every person, no matter their background, to progress in the workplace and outperform what society says they should be able to do.
These values are at the heart of what I will do at the DWP. Commenting on the changes to benefit sanctions, she said:
While necessary for the integrity of the system, I believe long financial sanctions become much less valuable over time, and ultimately undermine our aim to help people into work.
That is why we will reduce the length of the maximum sanction to 6 months’ to make them more proportionate, and why I have already launched an evaluation to consider further improvements we can make”.
Six months sanction is too long for those on jobseekers. Rudd should focus on new initiatives to get as many unemployed people into work as possible. Those out of work should never be without payment for as long as 6 months. It is an excuse to save money, and another way of saying the governemnt cannot afford to sustain all those out of work.