Call for evidence for Work and Pensions Select Committee Inquiry

Work and Pensions Select Committee Inquiry Submission:
Plan for Jobs and Employment Support

The Parliamentary Select Committee for Work and Pensions recently announced their inquiry into the Plan for Jobs and Employment Support. The Committee is looking at the effectiveness of Government support to get people into employment, including disadvantaged groups such as those in low-paid jobs and young people.

ERSA is submitting to the select committee’s inquiry and our submission will be based on the experiences and expertise of our members.

We ask therefore for your input so we can build a submission that will carry with it the shared voice of the sector.

ERSA must submit this to the Committee by 16 September, we need your input by Monday 5 September, by 5pm and earlier if you can.

The Inquiry is built around the call for evidence and it’s 20 questions. There are three sections to the CfE, a Context section, a Support Programmes section, and a Policy section.

ERSA must capture as much detail as possible from our members. You do not have to answer all the questions, but please respond to any of the questions you can and please provide opinion, insight, evidence, and data whenever possible. Please include the question number.

The ERSA team would also like to highlight the importance of some of ERSA’s ongoing work in particular:

• UKSPF
• the importance of skills and training embedded in employment support
• future employment support contracts – what should be provided, who should be targeted
• engaging people not currently participating in employment support, at Jobcentre Plus or with providers.

The questions in the Call for Evidence are included below. 

Context

• Some groups of people, such as disabled people or young people, tend to do less well in the labour market than others. How has the pandemic affected that?
• The number of vacancies is at a record high. What is stopping employers from filling those vacancies?
  • How could DWP better target its employment support programmes towards sectors that have large numbers of vacancies?
• Employment levels are still lower than their pre-pandemic level. What is driving this, and how important is employment support provision in addressing it?
• What is driving increases in economic inactivity – for example, amongst people with health conditions and older people?
  • What is the impact of increased economic inactivity, and what role should DWP have in addressing it?

Support Programmes

• How effective are DWP’s employment support programmes? This might include:
  • the Work and Health Programme
  • Kickstart
  • Restart
  • Other specialist programmes, such as Sector Based Work Academies or the Youth Offer?
• What has been the impact of the Way to Work campaign?
• How effective is DWP’s support for self-employed people, and how could it be improved?
• How effective is support from Jobcentre Work Coaches? Are there ways that DWP could be using its resources (eg. Work Coaches) more effectively than it is at the moment?
• How effective is employment support for people in rural areas?
• What has been the impact on employment support providers of winding down the European Social Fund? Is the UK Shared Prosperity Fund working well as a replacement?
• How could DWP work more effectively with employers to ensure that people coming through Jobcentre Plus are well-equipped to fill vacancies?
• How could DWP work more effectively with other Departments and external organisations (eg. the third sector and private sector) in delivering employment support?
• What can DWP learn from the third sector, local government and the private sector about how to best deliver employment support?
• Are there any international examples of successful employment support schemes that DWP could learn from?

Policy

• DWP both provides employment support and administers benefits. How well is it fulfilling that dual role, and is there a case for a different model?
• Should the Government provide employment support to people who are not on benefits? If so, how could that support best be provided?
• How can DWP’s employment services best support in-work progression?
• Building on the recommendations of the Taylor review, what should be DWP’s role in ensuring that work is “good work”?
• How can the Government best ensure that work pays?
• In May 2022 the Government announced that Matt Warman MP would lead a review into how the Government can best support a thriving labour market. What are the key policy challenges for DWP?

Get in touch with the team via policy@ersa.org.uk.