Clean Slate founder Jeff Mitchell has hit out at government plans to cut the length of time jobseekers on Universal Credit have to find an opportunity in their sector.

Way to Work, announced on January 27, means from the fourth week of a Universal Credit claim people who are able to work will be expected to broaden their search.

If they don’t, they could be subject to sanctions. Previously, jobseekers had three months to find work in their preferred sector before they’d be hit.

The DWP said the plan was aimed at getting 500,000 people into the 1.2 million vacancies UK-wide.

It pledged claimants would be given more face-to-face time with their Work Coach as a consequence. Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “Helping people get any job now means they can get a better job and progress into a career.”

This is not the same world as it was three years ago

Jeff Mitchell

But Jeff Mitchell, an expert in helping jobseekers into work, wasn’t convinced by the plan.

“I’d be surprised if the increased use of sanctions to coerce people into jobs they’re not right for under the Way to Work plans achieve any of the government’s objectives,” he said.

“This is not the same world as it was three years ago and getting tough on people in poverty will reflect badly on politicians. All levels of our community were shaken by Covid and there is a renewed desire for social justice, mainly because so many of the ‘haves’ suddenly became ‘have nots’. Many of them are still claiming and will discover how harsh the system can be. It’s a return to the regime depicted in I, Daniel Blake.”

Matching jobseekers with jobs

He said the move wouldn’t help jobseekers or employers.

“I don’t buy Thérèse Coffey’s claim that taking any job will lead to better pay and a career – certainly not for those with lower skills,” Mitchell said.

Not a job at any cost

Jeff Mitchell

“Recruiters have long complained about the time cost of applications from claimants just going through the motions to keep their benefits. Yes, we need to get the country back on its feet and Clean Slate is up for the challenge of matching jobseekers to the many vacancies open to them. We take a fundamentally different approach though, and ask people to be inspired and motivated by the right job goals, not any job at any cost.”

Clean Slate has been helping long-term unemployed people to find the right job for 15 years with a service that’s based on trust. Mitchell questioned the wisdom of turning Jobcentre Plus staff into benefits police.

“It’s good to see a commitment to increased face-to-face time with Work Coaches but this investment is undermined if jobseekers just attend out of compliance for fear of sanction,” he said.

“It’s self-defeating. And it’s not a vote-winner.”

Quids in! has developed a job-ready quiz to help people determine if they’re ready for the workplace.

Photo: FCO