§ 29. Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently employed in jobcentres; what are the main tasks they undertake; and if he will make a statement.
§ Miss WiddecombeCurrently, around 30,000 staff are employed on front-line duties in jobcentres. They provide a range of services designed to help unemployed people back to work, and to pay benefit to those who are entitled to it. The main tasks staff undertake are job-broking—obtaining vacancies from employers and sending jobseekers to them, advising jobseekers on the range of help available and paying unemployment benefit to those entitled to it. Actual duties are interchangeable, as staff are encouraged to be able to perform a variety of work.