Working for the Future: Final report of the Commission on the Future of Employment Support

This is the final report of the Commission on the Future of Employment Support, which has been managed by IES in partnership with abrdn Financial Fairness Trust. The Commission has been a two-year investigation comprising extensive evidence gathering and analysis, public polling and co-design of proposals for reform. More information on the Commission is available here, including links to previous reports and webinars.

This report sets out the Commission’s final proposals. It argues for far-reaching reforms to help reverse significant falls in labour force participation, address insecurity and poverty in work, and tackle long-standing inequalities in the labour market. It makes recommendations in four main areas:

• An ambitious approach to the government’s new Jobs and Careers Service: underpinned by a new online employment service, an on the high street network of employment, skills and careers centres that are open to all, and on the doorstep integration of employment and careers advice within wider public, community and voluntary services; alongside a clear, joined up offer for employers
• New Labour Market Partnerships within local areas – so that ‘work, health and skills plans’ can enable areas to join up services, broaden access to support and tailor provision to local needs
• Ending the ‘compliance culture’ in jobcentres –includingby ending the ‘35-hour rule’ for jobseekers and those in low paid work, having a clearer separation between benefits administration and employment support, and replacing the Claimant Commitment with forward-looking Action Plans
• A clear framework for a reformed system, across national and local services – underpinned by specific objectives on raising employment, tackling poverty at work and reducing inequalities; a guarantee that if you want help you will be able to get it; and common standards for the quality of services for individuals and employers

Alongside this, the report makes recommendations for reforms to the role of central government – so that it can focus on building capacity and capability, using and sharing evidence on what works, and supporting areas and services to innovate and improve – and proposes full devolution of employment support to Scotland and Wales on the same basis as has happened successfully in Northern Ireland.

The report sets out a roadmap for implementing reforms over the next two years, and argues that the reforms would more than pay for themselves with only marginal improvements in take-up and outcomes from employment support.