Jobcentre work coaches making a difference and changing lives in West Sussex

Talking about the jobcentre approach, Emma Wareham Partnership Manager for West Sussex said: “Unlocking the skills and abilities of jobseekers, improves their employment prospects, and helps achieve the Government’s priority to grow the economy. Key to this is the individual specialist support from our team of work coaches, who ensures that everyone gets the help they need, whether they are leaving education, are 50 Plus, or have a health condition. This crucial support enables jobseekers to develop their full potential.

“Identifying barriers to starting and progressing in world of work is a key aspect of the work coach role, so that people can make the most of the help available. Importantly job seeking parents on Universal Credit, can now get extra financial help through increased childcare payments.

“Locally we are working hard with to support employers fill their vacancies, and supporting jobseekers find work.

This week’s employment statistics highlight the great work being done by Work Coaches across the City. A particular success is the 50 Plus age group, where we have seen a 5% increase in claimants returning to work.

Minister for Employment, Guy Opperman MP said: “This Government’s record on employment is clear; there are one million fewer workless households than in 2010 and the number of people on company payrolls is a near record high. But we are not complacent about the challenges we face, which is why we remain focused on removing barriers to help people find and succeed in work.

“Our £3.5 billion package to deliver more tailored job support combined with our expanded childcare offer will help unlock individuals’ potential and grow the economy.”

Background

Since 2010 the number of people in work has increased by over 3.8m while unemployment has fallen by more than a million over the same period.

• The number of workless households has fallen by over one million since 2010.
• Economic inactivity has fallen by 231,000 on the year. The rate of inactivity is 2.7% below the G7 average, lower than the US, France, and Italy.
• We are doing more to get people working through our £3.5bn package to boost workforce participation and grow the economy, including £2bn of targeted support for people with long-term illnesses and disabilities.
• Last week the government announced the launch of a consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment to help people maximise their potential and ensure every who can benefits from the opportunities work can bring, both for their finances and personal health.
• We know people face a range of barriers to entering work which is why we have also increased the childcare costs parents on Universal Credit can claim back by around 50%, up to £950 a month for a single child and £1,629 for two children.

South East

The number of people employed is at 4.726 million – up 82,000 on the quarter and up 156,000 on the year.

The employment rate (aged 16-64) is at 79.6% - up 1.0%pts on the quarter and up 1.8%pts on the year.

The number of people unemployed is at 192,000 - up 15,000 on the quarter and up 24,000 on the year.

The unemployment rate is at 3.9% - up 0.2%pts on the quarter and up 0.4%pts on the year.

The number of people in workless households has fallen since April to June 2010 by 163,000.