The Work Programme Performance Report is designed to provide statistical information on the performance of the Work Programme.
The report is produced by the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the trade body for those organisations delivering or with an interest in employment support services.
The report highlights the success of the Work Programme in getting people into work with particular emphasis on its results in relation to young people.
However the Work Programme has had less success with those on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Overall, 10 per cent of those on ESA found at least one job through the Work Programme, though this figure rises to 15 per cent for those who have been on the Programme for the longest time.
Work Programme Providers reported one quarter of the ESA group have been unemployed for at least 11 years, with high levels of needs, particularly around health and skills. The report suggests that the costs of helping jobseekers on ESA back into work are significant and cannot all be met by the Work Programme. ERSA is therefore advising that there should be a review of the entirety of resources available to help this group, including health and skills budgets.
You can view the report at the ERSA website.
Key finding s of the report
- The Work Programme has found work for 321,000 people. This compares to 207,000 people at the end of September 2012, a 55 per cent increase on six months before.
- A third of all individuals who have been on the programme for at least a year have found employment.
- Approaching half of all young people who had been on the scheme for nearly two years have found work. This is the best performing group on the Work Programme at present.
- It is taking longer to help jobseekers on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) into work, reflecting the level of barriers experienced by these jobseekers. However, the longer jobseekers on ESA are on the scheme the more likely they are to find work. Of those who have been on the programme for the longest, around 15 per cent have found employment.
- Providers are placing people into work at a faster rate than previously and performance is building year on year.
- There is some evidence of variation in performance across the country. Although there is some variation between providers within Contract Package Areas it seems likely that local labour markets have an impact on Work Programme performance.