The Government has today announced plans for a substantial overhaul of the benefits system. These should address one of the major issues that the REC has campaigned on, namely complexities in the current benefits system that preclude job-seekers from using temporary assignments as a route back into work.
The REC was contacted by the Welfare Minister Lord Freud ahead of the public announcement. The Minister went through the aims of the proposed reform with Tom Hadley, Director of External Relations, and picked up on the need to streamline the process of coming on and off benefits.
Responding to the Government's plans, Hadley says;
The proposed changes should tackle some of the major barriers that those operating in the front line of the jobs market have been flagging up for years. Being able to see how much an individual has earned every week and pay benefits accordingly will speed up the process.
“This will encourage job-seekers to take on the kind of temporary assignments that can often lead to further opportunities. Of course, we will need to make sure that people can taper their benefits up - if they get less work that week - as well as down.”
Hadley added:
As well as addressing barriers and making work pay, the Government needs to ramp up the practical support for job-seekers. Harnessing the expertise that is already out there - for example within the private sector recruitment industry - is the most cost-effective way of achieving this. The reality is that the vast majority of job-seekers want to work and to progress within the labour market. Recruitment professionals will continue to play a central role by working with Jobcentre Plus and welfare providers to make this happen. “
