The paper, The Economic Impact of the Work Programme, is based on estimates of the number of long-term unemployed adults who would have found work since 2011 without any action being taken. It estimates that 100,000 fewer would have started work over the past three years without the Work Programme.
The Work Programme is a support scheme for the long-term unemployed that encourages service providers and employers to work closely with the government to provide skills training and employment opportunities.
Since 2011, 500,000 people have found work through the scheme, 300,000 of whom are now in long-term employment.
Speaking at the launch of the report, employment minister Esther McVey praised the team working on the programme for showing “self-belief” in confronting long-term unemployment.
“We have come from a precarious situation a year ago to overseeing the biggest fall in unemployment since 1998,” she said. “We can be proud that we have helped people to get into a working space where they feel like they have purpose.”
Jacquie Smallwood, chair of the Employment Related Services Association, which commissioned the report, said that business has welcomed the talent pools created by the Work Programme. She said post-employment support is an integral part of the programme.
“It’s all about helping people to succeed in work and stay there,” Smallwood added.
