Active labour market policies (ALMPs) are used to help the unemployed find work. They have generally been introduced to address challenging periods for the labour market. Professor Sue Maguire, Honorary Professor at the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) at the University of Bath told us that ALMPs generally vary between ‘work first’ and ‘train first’ approaches. However, across both types of support, there are common factors that lead to successful outcomes. These include early identification and intervention, person-centred responses tailored to the individual, decisions made on evidence of what works, support whilst on-programme, and post-programme follow-up support and intervention.656
The below table summarises recent ALMPs introduced by the DWP (unless specified otherwise) in recent years. This list is not exhaustive.
Name |
Type |
Detail |
Youth Obligation (2017–20) |
Job-search assistance |
Offered intensive support for those aged 18-21 claiming Universal Credit, including the promise of a traineeship or work placement if still unemployed after six months. |
Reinforced Youth Guarantee (2014–) |
Guarantee |
Commitment by EU Member States to ensure that all young people under 30 receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education.657 |
Youth Contract (2012–15) |
Multi-element programme with an integrated offer |
For those aged 18 to 24 offered ‘payment by results’ for employment support providers, plus training, experience and a job interview at a local firm, and work placements for those who had been unemployed for 13 weeks. |
The Work Programme (2011–15) |
Job-search assistance |
Supported those receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) for nine months, or those at most risk, and offered payment for results to welfare to work companies. It faced criticism for ‘creaming and parking’, where the job-ready were helped more than those with complex needs. |
Young Person’s Guarantee (2010) |
Guarantee |
Offered those aged 18 to 24 who had been claiming JSA for six months a job, training, or work experience. |
Future Jobs Fund (2009–11) |
Subsidised employment |
Set up following the financial crash. It was available for those who were out of work for six months and offered subsidised employment, training, or work experience for up to six months at a minimum of 25 hours a week.658 Examples from the devolved regions include Jobs Growth Wales (2012–current) and Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive (2015–recently succeeded by No One Left Behind). |
New Deal for Young People (1998–2009) |
Multi-element programmes/ integrated offer |
Responsibility for the New Deal sat with The Employment Service (DWP). Mandatory for those who were unemployed for six months. It offered a job, voluntary placement, or full-time education or training. |
Youth Training Scheme (1983–90) |
Training programme |
Responsibility for lay with the Manpower Services Commission (Department of Employment). Backed by £1 bn public money, it provided 20 weeks off-the-job training on a two-year programme. |
Source: Work and Pensions Committee, Youth Unemployment and the Youth Contract (Second Report, Session 2012–13, HC 151); ‘The Work Programme’s only success is at ‘creaming and parking’’, The Guardian (20 February 2013): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/20/work-programme-success-creaming-parking [accessed 1 February 2021]; Work and Pensions Committee, Youth unemployment and the Future Jobs Fund: Government response (First Report, Session 2010–11, HC 844); House of Commons Library, Future Jobs Fund, SN05352 15 December 2011; University of Warwick, Institute for Employment Research, Young people, employment programmes and the new deal: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/publications/bulletins/ier49.pdf [accessed 23 September 2021]; ‘New Deal or no deal’, The Guardian (14 May 2007): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/may/14/newdealornodeal [accessed 26 January 2021] and ‘The Government’s Kickstart scheme resembles one previous job creation project: the Youth Training Scheme’, FE News (10 July 2020): https://www.fenews.co.uk/featured-article/37733-working-class-youth-and-the-old-youth-training-scheme [accessed 2 June 2021]
The Government currently has a range of ALMPs in place, some of which pre-date the coronavirus pandemic, and others of which were introduced in response to the pandemic.
Name |
Type |
Detail |
Take up |
Apprenticeship incentives (2020–22) |
Wage subsidy |
The Government gives employers £3,000 for every apprentice they hire (of any age), which equates to a 35% wage subsidy for an apprentice on the Apprentice Minimum Wage |
101,460 apprentices, 76% aged between 16 and 24. |
Coronavirus Job Retention ‘Furlough’ Scheme (CJRS) |
Wage subsidy |
Set up to support employers to retain and pay their employees on temporary leave throughout the pandemic. |
11.6m jobs furloughed to September 2021 |
Find a job (2020) |
Job-search assistance |
Free website run by the Government Digital Service. |
N/A |
Job entry targeted support (JETS) (2020–22) |
Job-search assistance |
Employment support for unemployed people who have been claiming UC or new style JSA for 13 weeks. Available in England and Wales. |
138,000 users with over 25,000 job outcomes |
Job finding support (2021–January 22) |
Job-search assistance |
Online service to help people who have been unemployed for up to 13 weeks who do not need extensive support. |
30,000 up to the end of August 2021 |
Job help (2020) |
Job-search assistance |
Free to access website open to all and run by the Government Digital Service. |
N/A |
Kickstart (2020–22) |
Subsidised employment/work experience |
Kickstart provides work placements for young people claiming UC for at least 25 hours a week for six months, with additional employment support. It is funded at £6,700 per person. |
100,000 young people helped as of October 2021 |
Restart (2021–24) |
Job-search assistance |
Mandatory post-referral for UC claimants in the Intensive Work Search group for over 12 months. Intended to support 1m unemployed people in England and Wales over the next three years. |
N/A |
Sector Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) (2011–) |
Training programme |
Expanded in 2020. Employment support scheme for people looking to swap sectors. Includes pre-employment training, work experience and a guaranteed interview. Only available in England and Scotland. |
65,000 in 2020 and over 30,000 supported since April 2021 |
Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) |
Wage subsidy |
Set up to support self-employed people during the pandemic. |
3m supported at the end of September 2021 |
Traineeship expansion |
Work experience |
The Government pledged to triple the number of traineeships available. |
17,000 as of July 2021 |
Youth Offer (2020–25) |
Multi-element programme with an integrated offer |
Support for those aged 18 to 24 (extended to 16- and 17-year-olds in October 2021) claiming UC in the Intensive Work Search group. It has three components: 1. Youth Employment Programme offering 13 weeks of support with referrals to support (mandatory) 2. Youth Hubs offer support alongside co-located partners 3. Youth Employability Coaches provide up to six months specialist support for those with complex barriers to work |
166,000 people between September 2020 and March 2021, 115 Youth Hubs open |
Source: National Audit Office, Employment Support: Department for Work and Pensions, (7 June 2021), p 27: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Employment-support.pdf [accessed 10 November 2021]; HM Government, Plan for Jobs: progress update (13 September 2021): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1016764/Plan_for_Jobs_FINAL.pdf [accessed 10 November 2021]; HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions, ‘Chancellor praises workers as Plan for Jobs enters next stage’: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-praises-workers-as-plan-for-jobs-enters-next-stage [accessed 30 September 2021]; Department for Education, ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: academic year 2020/21’: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships [accessed 11 October 2021]. Nb. data applies to England. Department for Work and Pensions, ‘Over 100,000 young careers boosted by Kickstart scheme’: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-100-000-young-careers-boosted-by-kickstart-scheme [accessed 17 November 2021]
Name |
Target group |
Detail |
Take up |
Work and Health Programme (2017–) |
Disabled people, long-term unemployed, ex-carers, ex-forces |
Offers 15 months of support and up to six months in-work support. It uses private, public and voluntary and community providers to help people get into and stay in work using coaching and action-planning. |
134,000 starts as of November 2020 |
Access to Work (1994–) |
Disabled people and those with significant health conditions |
Offers grant funding for people with a health condition or disability where their needs exceed standard adjustments all employers are required to provide under the Equality Act 2010. The Government has a target of getting one million more disabled people into work by 2027. |
350,000 people received a payment from April 2009 to March 2020 |
Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) (2019–) |
Disabled people and those with complex barriers |
Provides up to 21 months’ support and six months intensive in-work support. It is due to run until November 2023 having been launched in December 2019. |
3,100 people at February 2021 |
Challenge areas |
BAME young people |
Following the 2017 Race Disparity Audit, 20 areas within England, Scotland and Wales with a high minority ethnic population and a high gap between the minority ethnic and white employment rate were chosen as Challenge Areas. People receive tailored support through work coaches in their area. |
|
Mentoring Circles (2018–) |
BAME young people, young people on benefits |
Originally launched in 2018, mentoring circles are available to all 16 to 24-year-olds claiming benefits. They are voluntary and support groups to build employability skills. They are targeted by JCP to local need, for example they can be targeted towards minority ethnic groups. |
630 circles attended by 4,400 people from July 2019 to January 2020 |
Source: National Audit Office, Employment Support: Department for Work and Pensions, (7 June 2021), p 27: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Employment-support.pdf [accessed 10 November 2021]
656 Written evidence from Professor Maguire (YUN0015). NB this appendix was substantially influenced by the written submission of Professor Maguire.
657 European Commission, ‘The reinforced Youth Guarantee’: https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1079&langId=en [accessed 2 June 2021]
658 It was cancelled by the Coalition Government in 2011 on the grounds it did not help to secure sustainable employment, with 45% claiming benefit seven months after starting the scheme. However, Tony Wilson of the Institute for Employment Studies described the Fund as a “phenomenal success”, raising the number of unemployed who went into permanent work by a quarter. See ‘Young people face a jobless future – unless ministers learn from the past’, The Guardian (1 May 2020) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/01/young-people-jobless-future-labour-employment-schemes [accessed 1 June 2021]