Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the processes for businesses to advertise vacancies through Jobcentre Plus.

The Department for Work and Pensions has recently reviewed and continues to enhance the processes through which businesses advertise vacancies via Jobcentre Plus. Employers currently benefit from a range of flexible engagement routes:

• Direct Contact: Employers can reach out through the Employer Services Line or an online enquiry form to be connected with a local Employer Adviser, who provides tailored recruitment support.

• Find a Job Platform: This is DWP’s official online job posting service, free to use and accessible 24/7. It includes features such as bulk vacancy uploads, hybrid/remote job filters, and the ability to display Disability Confident status. When any employer uses Find a Job to post vacancies, they are also given the option to request contact from a local Employer Adviser for tailored recruitment support.

• Strategic Relationship Team: For large-scale or complex recruitment needs, the Strategic Relationship Team offers bespoke national-level support, including vacancy promotion, recruitment events, and candidate matching.

Feedback from employer summits and innovation workshops has directly informed ongoing improvements. Employers have highlighted the importance of making Jobcentre Plus environments more welcoming and accessible. In response, best practice sharing is underway to improve the employer experience. Additionally, policy teams are reviewing the use of Jobcentre Plus premises for interviewing candidates who are not DWP customers. A new system has also been introduced to monitor employer engagement and campaign outcomes more effectively.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. As part of this, we will transform DWP’s employer offer and the way in which we engage with employers, using a test and learn approach to ensure the new service works hand in hand with them to help recruit the staff they need. The new service will support a broader range of employers, including those requiring skilled and specialist talent, to find the candidates they need. We will also work with employers to understand how to overcome the impact of recruitment practices which can act as a barrier for applicants, ensuring that a wide range of candidates can access employers’ vacancies regardless of these barriers.

DWP has not only assessed but is actively evolving its vacancy advertising processes through Jobcentre Plus. The combination of employer feedback, strategic planning, and digital innovation ensures that the service is becoming more responsive, inclusive, and effective for businesses of all sizes.