Benefit claimants will be made to visit a job centre every day for two weeks as part of a pilot scheme by the government - or face sanctions.
At the moment Universal Credit claimants normally only meet with a work coach once a week for the first three months or fortnightly after that.
But a new pilot will make it compulsory for claimants who have been on the benefit for 13 weeks to visit a job centre every day for two weeks for "intensive support", and failing to attend could lead to sanctions.
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It is part of a pilot scheme the government has set up that will see a job centre league table created and will give £250 bonuses to staff who get the most people into work.
The pilot will run in 60 job centres and aim to get more Universal Credit claimants into employment.
The government said it is right to reward staff when they help people secure work.
But the PCS union said the scheme is "gimmicky" and would not address the "poverty pay" of job centre staff.
Department for Work and Pensions bosses want to test whether financial incentives for job centre teams "drive better outcomes", with staff set targets and staff at top performing job centres will receive £250 each month.
The next best performing staff will get £125 each.
The department says the 13-week mark is critical because it is the point at which a claimant's prospects of moving into work decreases significantly.
At present, Universal Credit claimants normally only meet with a work coach once a week for the first three months and once a fortnight after that.
DWP secretary Mel Stride confirmed the department would start to expand the Additional Jobcentre Support pilot following testing in Coalville, Crawley, Patrick and Pontefract Jobcentres.
He added: "The current pilot will continue to test how enhanced daily work focused support, across two weeks, can further support eligible Universal Credit claimants into employment in 60 jobcentres across Central Scotland, Surrey & Sussex, West Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
"This additional support will increase a claimant’s employability through provision of additional one to one work search conversations with work coaches and through work search support sessions to help claimants overcome any challenges they may be experiencing.
"The Claimant Commitment, which sets out each claimant’s agreed work-related activities, will be regularly reviewed and activity will be focused on specific steps to support people to move into work.
"Evidence shows that the longer a person is out of work the harder it is for them to return.
"A claimant’s likelihood of securing employment declines after 13 weeks, so we will focus this support on those who remain unemployed or with low earnings after 13 and 26-weeks of claiming Universal Credit."
Claimants in the Intensive Work Search regime will receive prior notice of the requirements they will be expected to fulfil. Claimants who will not be in scope for the pilot are those:
- Awaiting a work capability assessment;
- Required to undertake less than 20 hours a week of work search activity;
- Who are gainfully self-employed;
- Who have no work related requirements;
- With an easement in place; and
- On a full-time provision offer.
There are currently 1.3 million unemployed people in the UK and a further 9 million who are economically inactive which means they are neither in work nor looking for work.
Ministers are concerned that economic inactivity could hold back economic growth.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has set up a review of policies to raise workforce participation and could make an announcement in the Budget on 15 March.
The Resolution Foundation said the best way to boost the workforce was to encourage more mothers in low-income families into work, and to help people who need to take time-off for ill-health to stay attached to their jobs.
A spokesperson for the DWP said: "It is right that we reward our staff when they go above and beyond, and helping people to secure, stay in, and succeed in work is a key government priority.
"DWP has an existing in-year reward policy in the form of vouchers to colleagues."
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