10 September 2009

As part of the government’s continuing action to help the UK get through the global economic downturn, a number of new initiatives have been introduced   to be delivered through Jobcentre Plus.

• Jobcentre Plus now has an enhanced Rapid Response Service to help not only people affected by large scale redundancies, but also anyone affected by redundancy resulting from the economic downturn, where the cumulative impact on the local labour market means that support is needed.
• There is now more help available to people claiming Job Seeker’s allowance (JSA), including guidance with CV writing, interview preparation, advice on money & debt, confidence building measures, and work skills.
• Since April 2009, employers have had access to a subsidy to recruit people who have been unemployed for more than 6 months, linked to funding for their training once at work. There is also more support for work-focused training, for volunteering, and for people looking to become self-employed.
• The Future Jobs Fund enables organisations to create jobs for long term unemployed young people, and the first tranche of successful bids was announced on 29 July.
• A new system now allows Jobcentre Plus to act as a single point of contact for Job Seeker’s allowance and certain Income Support recipients going in and out of work. Customers should be able to sort out all their entitlements in one transaction, and to claim “in work” benefits as soon as they have found a job.
• Customers of Jobcentre Plus are now able to make claims online, 24 hours per day.

If you would like further information about any of these new initiatives, contact your local Jobcentre Plus in the first instance. If you are experiencing difficulty in doing so or have any comments to make on your experience of the services, please contact my constituency office on 0121 486 2808 (before 1pm on weekdays, answer service at all other times).

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