The UK government has announced a new initiative to get 500,000 people into work and help fill the current record 1.2 million job vacancies in the economy. The “Way to Work” campaign promises to offer greater support to jobseekers and more engagement between the Department for Work and Pensions and employers, both welcome developments.
However, it will also use the threat of financial “sanctions” (in effect, fines) to force jobseekers on Universal Credit to look for work outside their chosen sectors more quickly. Previously, people had three months to look for jobs in their sector. Now, they will be forced to widen their search to employment fields where they lack experience or which they do not want, after just four weeks, or face having their benefits cut. This will be damaging and counterproductive not only to jobseekers, but to employers and the economy at large.
