The Work Programme challenge

29 July 2010

This article discusses planned benefits and service delivery restructuring.  It looks at unemployment over the past year and examines projected unemployment rates for 2011 and claimant count forecasts.  It discusses the coalition government agreement on jobs and welfare and presents a forecast for the number of job seeker's allowance (JSA) claimants up to 2014.  It analyses changes to the composition of JSA due to transfers of claimants from Incapacity Benefit (IB) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and looks at potential benefit payment savings. It goes onto describes the Work Programme, looking at key issues that will need to be considered and examines the implications of the budget for welfare to work.