Employment Service (Hansard, 28 July 2000)

§ Mr. Blunkett

I am today announcing that I have set the Employment Service a new target as part of their Annual Performance Agreement. It will measure sustainable employment in two pilot regions (ES' Northern region and Wales), and will be set at a level of 67 per cent. The Employment Service will aim to ensure that 67 per cent. of long-term JSA claimants remain off JSA 13 weeks after starting a job. In addition to the challenging goals that I have already announced, the 1061W setting of a stretching but realistic pilot target on sustainable employment will help the Employment Service to maintain the very high levels of performance that I expect of it.

The new target is contained in Objective A of the Annual Performance Agreement text which follows.

Performance Requirements

Vision and Purpose The Employment Service aims to make a major contribution to an efficient and flexible labour market and to the Government's objectives of high and stable employment growth, equality of opportunity and social inclusion. ES works closely with employers and with its private, voluntary and public sector partners to provide a quality service for all people without a job and to promote employment opportunities for all who can work. It aims to attract a diverse range of vacancies and to fill those vacancies quickly by matching the right people and skills with the right jobs. Its chief priority is to help individuals facing particular difficulty in the labour market to move from welfare and economic inactivity into sustainable employment. It does this through correct application of the Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) regime, delivery of the New Deals and the pilot ONE service, and provision of appropriate information, advice, training and support. The Agency has achieved much over the past three years. The challenge and opportunity now facing it is to sustain continuous improvement in its services to jobseekers and employers and to make those services more accessible and relevant to customer needs, through effective use of modem technology and close working with a wide range of partners.

Aim To help people without jobs to find work and employers to fill their vacancies.

Objectives and Targets

Objectives A: To help all people without jobs, and particularly those on welfare and at a disadvantage in the labour market, to find and keep work by providing appropriate information, advice, training and support and by encouraging employers to open more opportunities to them.

Targets

A1: To help 178,000 participants in the New Deals and Employment Zones into work, directly or in partnership with others.
A2: To help 100,000 people with disabilities into work, directly or in partnership with others.
A3: To help 295,000 disadvantaged jobseekers into work, directly or partnership with others.
A4: To help 735,000 people from welfare into work, directly or in partnership with others.
A5: To help 1,325,000 jobless people into work, directly or in partnership with others.
A6: Pilot target for Wales and Northern region: for 67 per cent. of long term JSA claimants to be off benefit 13 weeks after starting a job.

Objective B: To ensure that the rights and relevant labour market responsibilities of people on JSA and other benefits are fulfilled, while helping to combat fraud and abuse of the benefit system.

Target B1: To ensure that the relevant labour market responsibilities of people on JSA are fulfilled in 90 per cent. for cases checked.

Objective C: To harness new technology, the pursuit of excellence and continuous improvement to deliver effective, efficient and accessible services to all people without jobs and to employers, in Jobcentres and increasingly through other locations and means of communication.

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Targets

C1: To achieve a 90 per cent. customer service level for jobseekers.
C2: To achieve a 80 per cent. customer service level for employers.

Milestone Targets

Modernising the Employment Service ES will be introducing an Internet based Learning and Work Bank, a new Labour Market computer System, touch screen kiosks for jobseekers to access job vacancies and a single national telephone number for employers by March 2001.

Work Based Learning for Adults The Employment Service will be working towards the successful transfer of Work Based Learning for Adults from Training and Enterprise Councils to the Employment Service in England by April 2001 to form part of a coherent package of support for unemployed adults.

Objective D: To deliver services to all ES customers in a way which respects individual differences, helps to overcome disadvantages due to ethnicity, gender, age or disability and achieves the best possible outcome for each of them.