Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants in the searching for work Universal Credit conditionality regime showed evidence of employment in at least one week of the first (a) 13, (b) 26 and (c) 39 weeks following the claim in the most recent period for which this data is available.

Claimants are considered to be in work if they have earnings from employment or are required to report self-employed earnings. Information on the employment status of Universal Credit is only available at the level of monthly assessment periods, we are providing figures using approximations in months of the specified periods in weeks.

The most recent data on this issue is for claimants starting a new Universal Credit claim in the Searching for Work conditionality regime during the period September 2021 to August 2022:

(a) 51% were in work or had worked within 3 months

(b) 58% were in work or had worked within 6 months (including those in work within 3 months)

(c) 61% were in work or had worked within 9 months (including those in work within 3 / 6 months)

Notes:

1. Source: UC Management Information and HMRC Real Time Information data.
2. Claimants are counted in work if they have earnings from employment or are required to report self-employed earnings.
3. All figures include claimants who are already in work and in the Searching for Work conditionality regime at the start of their claim.