On Nov. 26, UK GVT issued reform suite to get Britain working again.
Unveiling the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation, Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall published a Get Britain Working White Paper, marking the UK GVT's first major intervention to achieve an ambitious 80% employment rate.
Follows UK GVT Oct. 2024 unveiled significant employment right reform, see #229381.
Reforms Background
Figures show almost one and a half million people are unemployed, over nine million people are inactive, and 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness.
Young people have been left behind with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, and nine million adults lack essential skills to get on in work.
UK is also the only major economy that has seen its employment rate fall over the last five years, largely driven by significant rise in the number of people out of work due to long-term ill health with outdated employment support system ill equipped to respond.
Reforms Overview
White Paper on reforms to employment support has been published, backed by £240 million investment, to target and tackle root causes of unemployment and inactivity.
Jobcentres will be transformed across UK to national jobs and careers service, focused on people’s skills and their careers instead of monitoring and managing benefit claims.
UK GVT is also delivering a new Youth Guarantee so all young people have access to an apprenticeship, quality training and education opportunities to develop work skills.
Mental health support to be expanded and extra capacity deployed to reduce waiting lists in areas with highest levels of inactivity, as part of the moves to fix NHS issues.
Measures announced in White Paper will fuel growth as UK GVT rebuilds Britain in a decade of national renewal, with measures to overhaul health and disability benefits system to support people to enter and remain in work and to tackle the benefits bill.
An independent review will be launched into how employers can be better supported to employ people with disabilities or health conditions, and to keep them in a workplace, ensuring more people can benefit from a sense of purpose and financial independence.
The driving purpose behind this new UK GVT approach is to enable everyone to have the opportunity of secure, rewarding and fulfilling work, to increase economic growth.
To deliver the fundamental reforms needed to fix the foundations, and to break down the barriers to opportunity particularly for young people and improve living standards.
Reforms will be underlined by the principle that people who can work, will be expected to work with consequences if they don’t properly engage with UK GVT’s support offer.
The reforms will needs genuine partnership with and between, new jobs and careers service, Mayors and councils, trade unions, private, voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, the NHS, employers and schools, colleges and universities.
UKP Statement
In a Statement made to UKP, Liz Kendall set out the basis of the policy defined in the White Paper, confirming UK GVT's plans, as well as the levels of investment required.
This confirmed that the White Paper had been developed with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as well as the Secretary of State for Education, and with further input from the Department for Health and Social Care, in addition to many other departments.
The Get Britain Working White Paper includes reforms needed to help more people into better jobs, give young people a better life, and ensure employment and social security system shows a healthy nation and a healthy economy are two sides of the same coin.
This is how UK GVT gets Britain working again, and how it gets Britain growing again.
As well as the Statement made in the House of Commons by Liz Kendall, the same text was delivered in the House of Lords by Baroness Sherlock, Under-Secretary of State.
Policy Paper
UK GVT's proposals to reform employment, health as well as skills support to tackle economic inactivity and support people into good work, are set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, which has been published with an Analytical Annex document.
Further detailed information is also provided in the associated Analytical data tables.
The White Paper sets out the case for change, details the new approach, as well as the reform plans, with seven chapters of detailed proposals on different reform aspects.
As well as the standard White Paper format, the document has also bee provided in large print and easy read versions, an audio version, and in British Sign Language.
Next Steps
This White Paper has set out UK GVT’s ambitions, desired outcomes and its vision for fundamental reform, and although it is determined to make quick progress, it does acknowledge that transformation of the scale it has set out will take time to deliver.
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will therefore establish a panel to consult disabled people as part of UK GVT's wider efforts to ensure that the views and voices of disabled people are put at the heart of the design as well as delivery of its reforms.
Nov. 27, 2024 Letter to UKP Work and Pensions Committee
On Nov. 27, 2024, UKP published a letter from The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, to Debbie Abrahams MP Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, in relation to the publication of the Get Britain Working White Paper.
The letter, dated Nov. 26, 2024, set out background to and rationale for the proposals and contained similar wording as appeared in the press release and Statements to UKP.
It confirmed the Labor Market Advisory Board will continue to provide insight, ideas and challenge to UK GVT, which will carry out in depth engagement with the devolved governments, local authorities, civil society groups, employers and the trades unions.
Many of the policy areas in the White Paper are devolved in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and so there will be a focus is on the actions UK GVT will take in England.
However, UK GVT will work with Scottish and Welsh Governments to ensure all aspects of new approach to delivering employment support link fully with devolved provision.
The letter confirmed the Secretary of State looked forward to working constructively now with all colleagues across UKP, including the Work and Pensions Select Committee.
