878,000 people referred to the Work Programme so far
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has today published its latest official data for referrals to the Work Programme from June 2011 to July 2012.
Responding to the publication of these statistics, Kirsty McHugh, ERSA’s Chief Executive, said:
“These latest figures continue to show a far lower level of referrals to the Work Programme of people on Employment Support Allowance (ESA) than originally predicted by government. The Work Programme operates on a very tight financial model and any variation in the mix and volume of jobseekers referred to the programme can have serious implications for provider finances. In addition, the lower level of referrals of jobseekers on ESA has a disproportionate impact on voluntary sector providers who tend to offer the expertise these jobseekers require.”
Individuals are referred to the Work Programme through one of nine different payment groups. This table shows the percentage of each payment group relative to the total number of referrals to the Work Programme. The table shows there is significant variation of referrals between the different payment groups with 44.4% of referrals coming through the JSA 25 and over group compared to less than 1% through the Incapacity Benefit and Income Support volunteers group.
The Government’s official statistics are available to download here.
