Employment Minister Alison McGovern said the government was scrapping a key rule
Under radical changes to the welfare system, job seekers will no longer be compelled to take any available job, Employment Minister Alison McGovern has said. MP McGovern announced that the government is discarding a pivotal rule that coerced people into taking unstable, poorly-paid jobs without considering their personal situation.
She has promised long-term, bespoke career assistance—despite her department facing intense scrutiny over reductions to disability benefits. In a transformation of Jobcentre practices, Ms McGovern expressed: “One of the things that broke me was reading people say that they thought ‘no one would want them’. I cannot live with the idea that there are people in this country who think that no one wants them.”
Job seekers will now receive encouragement to pursue “fulfilling” and secure professions, augmented by new technology like artificial intelligence to enable staff to provide more individualised and empathetic support, especially for those grappling with complex health issues or prolonged spells of unemployment.
This news surfaces as Labour faces internal dissent due to slashes to personal independence payments (PIP) and incapacity benefits, with up to 170 Labour MPs set to defy or abstain from voting on the measures – an act that could embarrass Sir Keir Starmer’s administration with a stinging defeat.
Speaking to the Guardian, Ms McGovern acknowledged the concern: “I don’t blame anybody for being scared or worried about it because given what’s happened with changes to disability benefits before, I understand that.”, reports MyLondon.
Despite assurances to the public, the government has pressed on with benefit reforms that are set to leave many worse off. The Resolution Foundation, a think tank, has issued warnings that these changes could plunge more Brits into poverty, contradicting Labour’s stance that the reforms will facilitate more people finding employment.
Ms McGovern stood by the policy, arguing that those impacted would benefit from significantly enhanced support, which includes assistance from GPs and physiotherapists, as well as overhauled Jobcentre services. In ongoing pilot schemes, the typical five-minute meetings with work coaches are being extended to more comprehensive sessions designed to “see the whole person”.
The system encourages claimants to divulge their personal experiences so that bespoke assistance can be offered – this could mean pairing them with suitable employers or aiding them in maintaining employment once they have secured a position.
“Nobody is ever going to make a film of I, Daniel Blake, but the reverse,” Ms McGovern said, alluding to Ken Loach’s poignant film about a man let down by the welfare system.
“But what I would like is a person comes into the Jobcentre who has perhaps not worked for some years and … they are given the time so that they can tell their whole story.”
The opposition has voiced scathing criticism of the Conservative government, accusing them of abandoning a gaping void in the employment support system. The Tories’ method, Labour claims, is a centralised and overly bureaucratic approach that has failed to put a dent in joblessness.
The government, however, has pledged to ramp up funding for employment support targeting those with enduring health issues. They’ve earmarked a cool £1 billion per year by the end of the decade, though the immediate allocation for the upcoming year is significantly more modest at £300 million.
Labour, meanwhile, is outlining its own reforms. They propose leveraging cutting-edge tools like the “DWP Ask” AI to automate the more mundane administrative chores. By doing so, they aim to free up staff members to offer more personal, face-to-face guidance.
To streamline the process, Labour suggests pre-filling forms before job coaching sessions. This, they believe, will make these meetings more effective and beneficial for all parties involved. Another area of concern is the engagement—or lack thereof—between employers and Jobcentres. At present, a paltry one in six employers interacts with these vital employment hubs.
The minister is resolute in her determination to change this status quo.
“The Tories used to talk about ABC: ‘Any job, Better job, Career’,” she reflected, before offering her own take. “I think that if you think about the career [first] … If we can get people into an NHS job where they’re more likely to move on and move up, then that is far better for them.”
The plight of young people, many still reeling from the psychological aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, is particularly troubling to Ms McGovern. In some instances, work coaches have had to chaperone young claimants to job fairs or similar public venues.
This hands-on approach is crucial, she believes, in helping these young people overcome severe social anxiety. “Now, that tells me that there’s an issue,” she indicated.
“We have to pay our debt to the Covid generation … I worry particularly about young people, and I think there has not been enough discussion or understanding of what Covid took from young people.”
Despite divisions within her party, Ms McGovern underlined the essential nature of the reforms. She continued: “I don’t blame colleagues for listening to their constituents who are fearful. But people will only stop being afraid if they can see that the system has truly changed.
“The social security system can never overcome the sort of deep inadequacies that there are in our economy. What we need is to change our economy, make sure that people have got chances and choices and opportunity … So I think these changes are necessary. I know that the job is much bigger than that.”