Job Clubs (Hansard, 30 November 1993)

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated 30 November 1993: As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to him about Jobclub performance and the wage rates and conditions for Jobclub leavers. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency. The attached table shows for each region and nationally the number of Jobclub entrants, leavers, job entries and other positive outcomes for the whole of 1992/93 and from 1 April 1993 to 31 October 1993. Those who are shown as going into other positive outcomes will have moved on to either training, full-time education or self-employment. The average length of time people spend in Jobclub is not routinely recorded. A sample study in March 1993 showed that 60 per cent. leave within 12 weeks, 81 per cent. leave within 21 weeks and 8 per cent. leave after a stay of more than 26 weeks. Records of the number of people in Jobclub at any one lime are not kept. However, the attached table shows that 142,370 people joined the programme in the first seven months of the 1993/94 operational year, an average of 4,592 a week. The wage rates that apply to jobs found by Jobclub members were last examined in January 1991, based on a postal survey of individuals who joined in Autumn 1989. At that time, 26 per cent. of respondents went into jobs with a wage of up to £80 per week and a further 60 per cent. went into jobs which paid £81 to £160 per week and 15 per cent. received over £160 per week. The Employment Service is planning a wide ranging evaluation of its programmes and services which lead to jobs. This should begin in spring 1994 and will examine, amongst other things, the wage rates of leavers going into employment. No information has been collected about the conditions of employment for those leaving Jobclub. Jobclubs continue to be both popular with the people who join and an effective way of helping them back to work. We are now able to help more members than at any time before and 47 per cent. of leavers are successful in finding jobs. I hope this is helpful. As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

513W

Jobclub Performance Information
	Entrants	Leavers	Job entries	Other positive outcomes
	April 1992 to March 1993	April 1993 to October 1993	April 1992 to March 1993	April 1993 to October 1993	April 1992 to March 1993	April 1993 to October 1993	April 1992 to March 1993	April 1993 to October 1993
Northern	14,135	8,342	14,003	8,594	5,625	3,614	1,523	860
Yorkshire and Humberside	19,071	12,337	18,477	11,886	8,722	5,573	2,771	1,606
East Midlands and Eastern	19,895	12,466	19,426	12,191	9,310	5,987	3,050	1,551
London and South East	65,316	45,922	63,769	41,936	26,048	18,349	9,585	5,446
South West	16,036	10,383	15,301	9,945	7,327	4,996	2,259	1,422
Office for Wales	12,666	8,274	12,084	7,914	6,355	4,530	1,693	1,121
West Midlands	21,080	12,456	21,198	12,304	9,379	5,937	3,507	1,981
North West	31,920	19,258	31,530	19,767	13,948	8,919	3,843	2,190
Office for Scotland	20,878	12,932	20,891	12,795	10,211	6,377	2,722	1,718
National	220,997	142,370	216,679	137,334	96,925	64,282	30,953	17,898