Five major changes in DWP Get Britain Working plan including jobcentres revamp

Labour has today set out a series of measures to boost Britain's economy. The government has unveiled a package of reforms in its new Get Britain Working white paper that includes tackling the huge numbers of people on unemployment and sickness benefits.

Figures show there are now more than seven million people on Universal Credit, with 63 per cent of claimants not in employment. In Birmingham, there are 212,000 people on Universal Credit with 70 per cent of those not working, plus another 30,000 people in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who face being moved on to Universal Credit by the end of next year.

The DWP says there are now 2.8 million people in Britain who are out of work because of long-term sickness - part of an overall nine million people who are economically inactive - and another 1.5 million people who are on benefits with work commitments but are currently unemployed. It now wants to combine improved healthcare and job support in its "first major intervention to achieve an ambitious 80 per cent employment rate."

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The measures in the new Get Britain Working white paper published today include the following five major steps:

1. Tackling economic inactivity caused by ill health

Labour says a quarter of all people aged 16-64 have a long-term health condition that limits their day-to-day activities with disabled people nearly three times more likely than non-disabled people to be economically inactive. Given the strong evidence of the health benefits of good work, it says extra capacity will be deployed to reduce waiting lists in 20 NHS Trusts across England with the highest levels of economic inactivity.

The government is providing an additional £22.6 billion of spending in 2025/2026 for the Department of Health and Social Care. This will support the NHS in England in delivering an additional 40,000 elective appointments a week and making progress towards the commitment that patients should expect to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.

The Government will deliver an additional 8,500 new mental health staff and also expand access to Individual Placement and Support (IPS) for severe mental illness, reaching 140,000 more people by 2028/2029. On top of this, the Government will take a prevention-first approach through an expansion of Talking Therapies, a landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill and a range of steps to tackle obesity.

The White Paper sets out how the Government will invest £125 million in eight areas across England and Wales, to mobilise local work, health and skills support – so everyone who wants to work can get the joined-up support they need. This includes funding in three of the trailblazer areas for NHS accelerators to stop people from falling out of work completely due to ill health. The three areas will be the North East, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

These eight trailblazers will be at the forefront of designing how locally joined-up support will work in practice across England and Wales.

2. Creating a new National Jobs and Careers Service

Jobcentres across Great Britain will be overhauled and in England will be merged with the National Careers Service. This will be kickstarted by £55million of investment, to help people get into work, stay in work, build skills and progress in their career.

A radically improved digital offer will be trialled to bring Jobcentres into the 21st century, with the DWP using the latest technologies and AI to provide up-to-date information on jobs, skills and other support and to free up work coach time.

Staff at Jobcentres will have more flexibility to offer a more personalised service to jobseekers – moving away from the "tick box culture." New coaching academies will also be set up to upskill jobcentre staff so they can better support people into work.

Backed by £55 million funding, testing and digital design will be carried out into next year to understand how to bring DWP services online and make them easier to access to deliver tailored support, including CV advice and job adverts. This builds on work already underway to give work coaches AI tools so they can find the right information for their customers faster.

3. Delivering a Youth Guarantee to get young people into work

Every 18-21-year-old in England will have access to an apprenticeship, quality training and education opportunities or help to find a job under a new Youth Guarantee.

The White Paper unveils new partnerships with some of Britain's most iconic cultural and sporting organisations, including the Premier League, Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company, who will offer work or learning opportunities to inspire and upskill the next generation.

Eight youth trailblazer areas will be set up across the country, including in Liverpool, Tees Valley and the East Midlands, with £45 million in funding to identify those most at risk of falling out of education or employment and match them to opportunities for education, training or work.

To further expand opportunities for young people through the Youth Guarantee, the Government will transform the Apprenticeship Levy in England into a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy by investing £40 million. This will help to deliver new foundation and shorter apprenticeships in key sectors.

These new opportunities will be the responsibility of young people to take them up. In return for these new opportunities, young people will be expected to engage with training or work that's on offer so no young person is left behind.

An advisory panel will also be set up to put young people at the heart of decision-making. A disability panel will also be set up to ensure the voices of disabled people are at the core of reforms.

Labour says this change will deliver greater flexibility for employers and learners, aligned to the government's Industrial Strategy, while "rebalancing" what's on offer so that more apprenticeships are focused on young people.

4. Getting mayors to develop a work, health and skills plan for local people

£15 million will be made available to areas across England not getting a trailblazer so they can develop their own Get Britain Working Plan focused on reducing economic inactivity. Plans will be developed by mayoral authorities where they exist – aligned with their Local Growth Plans – and elsewhere by local authorities.

By giving local areas the power and money to design their own Get Britain Working plans, we will deliver real employment opportunities for people who know their communities best. Up to £15 million will be made available to support local areas across England in developing their own plans and supporting the trailblazers.

The government will also provide £115 million in funding next year to enable local areas across England and Wales to deliver a new supported employment programme called Connect to Work scheme. This offers voluntary employment to people with disabilities, health conditions or complex barriers to work and will support up to 100,000 people a year at full rollout as the first tranche of money from a new Get Britain Working Fund.

5. Independent review of how UK employers promote health and inclusive workplaces

Poor workforce health imposes large costs on employers, especially from sickness absence and turnover, while also making it harder for them to find the talent they need to grow and thrive, Labour said. It added that there is "compelling evidence" about the value of helping people with a health condition or disability to stay in work, including preventing them from becoming economically inactive.

In response, the review will consider what can be done to help employers increase the recruitment and retention of people with disabilities and health conditions, undertake early intervention for sickness absence, and increase returns to work.

The review will run until next summer and involve wide-ranging engagement with employers, employees, trade unions, health experts, disabled people and those with health conditions. Labour says it will complement the Government's Employment Rights Bill, which will tackle job insecurity and expand flexible working.

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