ERSA has today released the latest round of job start figures for the Work Programme for the period of June to December 2017. These show that 856,991 people have now gained some work through the scheme, while the number of young people gaining work has reached 206,522. The full report can be accessed here. Welcoming the…

ERSA welcomes the latest labour market statistics which show a record 31.4 million people in work, up 521,000 compared with this time last year. This boost in employment is supported by the work of the employment support sector through a range of government programmes, including the Work Programme which has helped over three quarters of a million…

ERSA welcomes the government’s response to the second Work and Pensions Select Committee report on welfare-to-work. Please see the below statement. This can be attributed to Kirsty McHugh, ERSA Chief Executive: “ERSA supports the government’s commitment to build on learning from previous programme including Work Programme and Work Choice when looking at future programme design.…

Today, ERSA has released figures showing that over three quarters of a million people have now started work with support from the Work Programme. In total, 753,000 individual jobseekers have now entered employment via the Work Programme from its start in June 2011 to end September 2015. This includes over 183,000 young people and 45,253…

ERSA has today welcomed many of the recommendations in a new report by leading think tanks Social Market Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Employment support for a high wage economy, on the future of employment support. In particular, it welcomes the focus on increasing wages to help people move out of poverty and the call…

ERSA welcomes the latest Labour Market Statistics published today, which show employment is at record levels of 73.7% and youth unemployment is at its lowest level since 2006. Kirsty McHugh, ERSA, Chief Executive, says: “Over 178,000 young people have started a job with support from the Work Programme since it began in 2011, and we can see the impact…

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the representative body for the employment support sector, has today (22 October 2015) welcomed the statement from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on benefit sanctions, but warned that further changes are needed to system.  In particular, ERSA has welcomed the piloting of a 14 day delay…

ERSA has today (21 October) welcomed the latest Work and Pensions Committee report on back to work programmes, which has for the first time recognised that the Work Programme has produced results at least as good as previous programmes, but at greatly reduced cost. However, it has called on Government to make sure that future…

ERSA welcomes the latest Government statistics on the Work Programme which show that over 450,000 people have now entered sustained work since the programme began in June 2011 until June 2015. These figures follow ERSA’s new Job Start statistics released yesterday, which found that overall the Work Programme has supported over 731,000 previously long term…

Ahead of this week’s Budget, the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the representative body for the employment support sector, is calling on government to ensure its new package of funds to support people with mental health conditions extends to employment support services.  The call accompanies the release today (17 March) of new figures showing that…