By Richard Johnstone | 7 April 2014
Rising levels of employment mean that the time is right to increase the obligations on jobseekers to prepare themselves for finding work, employment minister Esther McVey has said.
Highlighting the introduction, later this month, of a new regime for those out of work, McVey said ministers wanted to ensure people ‘hit the ground running’ when they found work.
Under the government’s reforms, signing on for benefits will no longer be an option, she said.
From April 28, when a jobseeker has their first interview with Jobcentre Plus, their adviser will review what they have done to make themselves employable prior to claiming JSA. If they haven’t done anything, they can be mandated to comply quickly and if they don’t they could face a sanction. In addition, people who need it will also have more regular meetings with their JobcentrePlus adviser – weekly rather than fortnightly – to ensure they are doing everything they can to look for work.
McVey said that, as the economy was growing and there were record numbers of people in work, ‘now is the time to start expecting more of people if they want to claim benefits’.
She added: ‘It’s only right that we should ask people to take the first basic steps to getting a job before they start claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance – it will show they are taking their search for work seriously.
‘This is about treating people like adults and setting out clearly what is expected of them so they can hit the ground running. In return, we will give people as much help and support as possible to move off benefits and into work because we know from employers that it’s the people who are prepared and enthusiastic who are most likely to get the job.’
Private sector employment has increased by 1.73 million since 2010, showing the government’s economic plan is proving successful, she added. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics also show that number of job vacancies increased in the last three months by 23,000 to 588,000.
