Created on
14 October 2015
- Just under half of disabled Londoners are in work, compared to three quarters of non-disabled people.[2]
- Only 7.8 per cent of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants on the Work Programme move into work.[3]
Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations play an important role in supporting those who find it the most difficult to get a job. However a number of barriers affect VCSE involvement in employment programmes, including:
- Financial pressures
- Contracting arrangements
- Concerns about the effectiveness of mandatory work placements
- Gaps in sharing good practice
The report ‘A Helping Hand’ by the London Assembly Economy Committeedetails the challenges facing the sector and makes a number of recommendations, including:
- The Department for Work and Pensions should reform the payment-by-results model.
- The Mayor and the London Enterprise Panel (LEP) should champion choice-based and voluntary approaches and call for an end to mandatory work placements.
- The Mayor and the LEP should develop a shared good practice resource.
Fiona Twycross AM, Chair of the Economy Committee, said:
“The job market in London should be fair and accessible to all. Although the Work Programme is helping some Londoners to find and secure a job, a lot more needs to be done to involve voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations. VCSE organisations have a greater understanding of the people they serve, and the barriers they face in securing employment.
We would like to see an approach to employment programmes which recognises the unique characteristics and resources of this sector and the contribution it can make to assisting people into finding a job that is suitable for them. Engaging with this sector is a way of the Work Programme moving away from a one-size fits all approach and assisting Londoners facing particular barriers to returning to work.”
Notes to editors
- The Economy Committee’s report “A Helping Hand” is available to download below.
- London Datastore: Office for National Statistics (2014)
- Tabulation Tool: Work Programme: Cumulative figures
- The Work Programme is a governmental welfare-to-work programme which was introduced in June 2011. The Work Programme provides support, work experience and training for up to two years to help people find and stay in work.
- Fiona Twycross AM, Chair of the London Assembly Economy Committee, is available for interview. Please see contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Lisa Lam on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.