Performance Targets (Employment Service) (Hansard, 6 June 2000)

§ Mr. Blunkett

The Aim of the Employment Service is to help people without jobs to find work and employers to fill their vacancies. The Service makes a major contribution to an efficient and flexible labour market and to the Government's objectives of high and stable employment and growth, equality of opportunity and social inclusion. Its chief priority is to help individuals facing particular difficulty in the labour market to move from welfare and economic inactivity into sustainable employment. During the coming year it will be taking forward an ambitious programme of technological change and business improvement and will be preparing for the merger with the Benefits Agency in 2001.

I am today announcing the targets I have set the Employment Service for 2000–01, which relate to its four key objectives. 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 and 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 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 modern 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. 182W Objective 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 1. To help 178,000 participants in the New Deals and all Employment Zones into work, directly or in partnership with others 2. To help 100,000 people with disabilities into work, directly or in partnership with others 3. To help 295,000 disadvantaged jobseekers into work, directly or in partnership with others 4. To help 735,000 people from welfare into work, directly or in partnership with others 5. To help 1,325,000 jobless people into work, directly or in partnership with others 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 To ensure that the relevant labour market responsibilities of people on JSA are fulfilled in 90 per cent. of 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. Targets 1. To achieve a 90 per cent. customer service level for jobseekers Milestone Targets 1. To introduce the Learning and Work Bank, new Labour Market System, touch-screen kiosks and a single national telephone number for employers by March 2001. 2. To achieve a successful transfer of Work Based Learning for Adults to ES in England by April 2001. 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.

Two additional targets, for employer service and sustainable employment will be announced in July.

Target levels for the Employment Service in Scotland and Wales, derived from the national targets, will be announced shortly.