Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what long-term steps the Government is taking to help young people on universal credit who are not working into work.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have announced our Plan for Jobs expansion which will see another £500 million invested in supporting people into jobs, with young people at the heart of this through Kickstart and our DWP Youth Offer.
The Kickstart scheme is dedicated to helping 16-24-year olds at risk of long-term unemployment develop their skills and experience through 6-month jobs. Around 112,000 Kickstart jobs have been started and the scheme will continue until March 2022, offering jobs and experience to many thousands more young people.
We are extending the DWP Youth Offer to 2025 and have expanded eligibility to include 16 and 17-year olds, in addition to 18 to 24-year olds, who are claiming Universal Credit and searching for work. The Youth Offer currently provides intensive work search support through the Youth Employment Programme, specialised Youth Employment Coaches for young people with additional barriers to work, and over 150 Youth Hubs across England, Scotland and Wales.
DWP is working in collaboration with the Department for Education, National Careers Service, devolved administrations, and other partners to deliver a comprehensive package of support for young people.
Asked by: Lia Nici (Conservative - Great Grimsby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Kickstart scheme placements have been (a) approved, (b) advertised and (c) started by young people by (i) nation, (ii) region and (iii) sector as of 30 November 2021.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of the 30th November 2021, over 311,000 jobs have been approved for funding and around 110,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people. Over 223,000 jobs have been advertised and made available for young people to apply to through the scheme
Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 2nd December 2021 and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Over time, some previously approved jobs have been removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application. Included in the Great Britain total are a small number of jobs made available (less than 100 in total) that have an unrecorded job location. Data on approved jobs is taken from a snapshot of the Kickstart system at a point in time. This figure can be affected by retrospective changes resulting from applications being rescinded.
The number of approved jobs is defined as the number of jobs associated with approved applications recorded on the Kickstart application system on the date above. This total excludes approved jobs that have been withdrawn from the Kickstart Scheme by agreement with employers and gateways.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Table 1- Kickstart jobs made available and started by location.
Location | Jobs Made Available | Cumulative Jobs Started |
East Midlands | 13,360 | 6,760 |
East of England | 17,410 | 7,770 |
London | 49,090 | 23,460 |
North East | 9,370 | 5,240 |
North West | 28,020 | 13,920 |
Scotland | 16,770 | 9,570 |
South East | 25,200 | 11,840 |
South West | 14,990 | 6,830 |
Wales | 11,390 | 5,230 |
West Midlands | 19,760 | 10,280 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 17,870 | 8,840 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. | ||
Table 2- Kickstart jobs made available and started by sector.
Sector | Jobs Made Available | Cumulative Jobs Started |
Administration | 55,040 | 27,160 |
Animal Care | 1,320 | 880 |
Beauty & Wellbeing | 1,630 | 900 |
Business & Finance | 8,300 | 4,020 |
Computing Technology & Digital | 15,570 | 8,870 |
Construction & Trades | 6,700 | 3,390 |
Creative & Media | 18,940 | 10,880 |
Delivery & Storage | 6,280 | 3,130 |
Emergency & Uniform Services | 510 | 240 |
Engineering & Maintenance | 6,780 | 3,340 |
Environment & Land | 4,200 | 2,170 |
Government Services | 930 | 330 |
Healthcare | 5,920 | 2,330 |
Home Services | 1,690 | 590 |
Hospitality & Food | 25,330 | 9,270 |
Law & Legal | 540 | 340 |
Managerial | 1,010 | 480 |
Manufacturing | 6,190 | 2,940 |
Retail & Sales | 33,300 | 18,460 |
Science & Research | 870 | 540 |
Social Care | 4,770 | 1,820 |
Sports & Leisure | 5,400 | 2,690 |
Teaching & Education | 10,540 | 4,420 |
Transport | 840 | 240 |
Travel & Tourism | 690 | 330 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. | ||
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what initiatives her Department has undertaken to assist jobseekers under the age of 25 to find employment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have announced our Plan for Jobs expansion which will see another £500 million invested in supporting people into jobs, with young people at the heart of this through Kickstart and our DWP Youth Offer.
The Kickstart scheme is dedicated to helping 16-24-year olds at risk of long-term unemployment develop their skills and experience through 6-month jobs. Around 112,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and the scheme will continue until March 2022, offering jobs and experience to many thousands more young people.
We are extending the DWP Youth Offer to 2025 and have expanded eligibility to include 16 and 17-year olds, in addition to 18 to 24-year olds, who are claiming Universal Credit and searching for work. The Youth Offer currently provides intensive work search support through the Youth Employment Programme, specialised Youth Employment Coaches for young people with additional barriers to work, and over 150 Youth Hubs across England, Scotland and Wales.
DWP is working in collaboration with the Department for Education, National Careers Service, devolved administrations, and other partners to deliver a comprehensive package of support for young people.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Kickstart scheme in the (a) arts, (b) digital, (c) creative and (d) cultural sectors; if she will make it her policy to extend the scheme beyond the planned end date; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given for PQ 71418 for a recent breakdown of jobs made available and started by sector.
We have worked across sectors to deliver a series of sector-specific webinars to encourage and support employer applications to Kickstart. This has included a creative and media industries webinar and a digital webinar, delivered in partnership with the sector itself, inviting more than 200 employers from the tech and digital sector. We continue to support these sectors for the remainder of the Kickstart Scheme, whilst recognising that Kickstart jobs must be additional, not displacing existing opportunities within the wider labour market.
On Monday 4 October 2021 the Chancellor announced that Kickstart would run-on to the end of March 2022, extending the window for young people to take part in the Scheme beyond the original closing date of 31 December 2021. The deadline for employers and gateways to submit their application is 17 December 2021. There are no current plans to extend the Scheme further.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the (a) unemployment and (b) youth unemployment rates in Coventry North East constituency; what assessment her Department has made of the factors that have contributed to those unemployment rates being disproportionately higher in Coventry North East than the equivalent UK rates; and what targeted action her Department is taking to reduce unemployment in Coventry North East constituency.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Estimates of (a) unemployment and (b) youth unemployment in the year to Jun 2021 based on the Annual Population Survey are published and available here. Guidance for users can be found here. No specific assessment has been made of the factors underlying unemployment in Coventry North East and the sample sizes for Coventry North East may make drawing conclusions from this data difficult.
However, we want everyone to be able to find a job, progress in work and thrive in the labour market, whoever they are and wherever they live.
Throughout the pandemic the UK Government has provided historic levels of support to the economy – a total of over £400 billion. This includes key DWP programmes such as Restart and Kickstart alongside other measures to boost work searches, skills and apprenticeships. Our support was in addition to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Furlough) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
We recognise that young people’s needs will vary depending on where they live and their own individual circumstances.
The Coventry Youth Hub, just 1 of 150 currently open, works with a range of local partners and can help people address and overcome barriers to employment. Our experienced and well-trained Work Coaches have access to tools that help them understand vacancies and skills needs. Work Coaches are prioritising face-to-face activity so we can support them into work, and a year after the first young people started, over 100,000 have now taken-up a Kickstart job. This is an incredible achievement and we have announced a run-on of Kickstart to March 2022, to further support people into jobs.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many referrals from Job Centre work coaches have been made to the Kickstart Scheme; and how many of those referrals were people classified as being disabled.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of 9th November, there have been 2,203,000 referrals made by Work Coaches of young people onto the Kickstart Scheme. Young people on the Kickstart Scheme can be referred to multiple Kickstart jobs and several young people can be referred to each job.
We are unable to break these referrals down to those with a disability and those without as the information is not currently collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is due to data being contained across multiple systems and being provided voluntarily, meaning it would require a significant level of gathering and quality assurance.
However, we do plan to track the success of Kickstart amongst young people on the scheme who have a disability or health condition and will do this as part of the scheme’s evaluation. The evaluation will include surveys to capture the views and experiences of Kickstart participants. It will look at their experiences within their Kickstart job and track changes in views, attitudes and employment status. We will publish the evaluation once it has been completed.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have undertaken work placements under the Kickstart scheme or other similar programmes as part of the Plan for Jobs.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Kickstart Scheme supports eligible young people at risk of long term unemployment, regardless of disadvantage or disability. Mechanisms that record the number of disabled young people participating were not included within the initial design of Kickstart, however disability status is recorded on the wider Universal Credit systems.
We are unable to provide information on the number of jobseekers with disabilities who are participating on the Kickstart Scheme or similar programmes as a part of the plan for jobs. This is because the information is not currently collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is due to data being contained across multiple systems and in some cases being provided voluntarily, meaning it would require a significant level of gathering and quality assurance.
The Department of Work and Pensions plans to track the success of Kickstart amongst young people on the scheme including those who have a disability or health condition as part of the evaluation. We will publish the evaluation once it has been completed.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many kickstart scheme placements have been (a) approved, (b) advertised and (c) started by young people by (i) nation (ii) region and (iii) sector, and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of the 9th November, over 306,000 jobs have been approved for funding and over 100,000 young people have started a Kickstart job. Over 217,000 jobs have been advertised and made available for young people to apply to through the scheme
Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 9th November and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Over time, some previously approved jobs have been removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application. Included in the Great Britain total are a small number of jobs made available (less than 100 in total) that have an unrecorded job location. Data on approved jobs is taken from a snapshot of the Kickstart system at a point in time. This figure can be affected by retrospective changes resulting from applications being rescinded.
The number of approved jobs is defined as the number of jobs associated with approved applications recorded on the Kickstart application system on the date above. This total excludes approved jobs that have been withdrawn from the Kickstart Scheme by agreement with employers and gateways.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Table 1- Kickstart jobs made available and started by location.
Location | Jobs Made Available | Cumulative Jobs Started |
East Midlands | 13,230 | 6,180 |
East of England | 17,210 | 7,090 |
London | 47,750 | 21,550 |
North East | 8,940 | 4,770 |
North West | 27,110 | 12,760 |
Scotland | 16,110 | 8,640 |
South East | 24,380 | 10,900 |
South West | 15,030 | 6,370 |
Wales | 11,100 | 4,850 |
West Midlands | 19,420 | 9,330 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 17,270 | 8,040 |
Other | 80 | 20 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. |
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Table 2- Kickstart jobs made available and started by sector.
Sector | Jobs Made Available | Cumulative Jobs Started |
Administration | 53,550 | 25,060 |
Animal Care | 1,250 | 790 |
Beauty & Wellbeing | 1,600 | 800 |
Business & Finance | 7,930 | 3,700 |
Computing Technology & Digital | 15,130 | 8,230 |
Construction & Trades | 6,460 | 3,100 |
Creative & Media | 17,780 | 10,000 |
Delivery & Storage | 6,150 | 2,840 |
Emergency & Uniform Services | 520 | 220 |
Engineering & Maintenance | 6,660 | 3,070 |
Environment & Land | 4,020 | 1,980 |
Government Services | 790 | 300 |
Healthcare | 6,680 | 2,110 |
Home Services | 1,560 | 530 |
Hospitality & Food | 25,390 | 8,380 |
Law & Legal | 490 | 320 |
Managerial | 1,050 | 460 |
Manufacturing | 5,890 | 2,670 |
Retail & Sales | 32,390 | 16,740 |
Science & Research | 850 | 500 |
Social Care | 4,610 | 1,630 |
Sports & Leisure | 5,180 | 2,460 |
Teaching & Education | 10,280 | 4,010 |
Transport | 750 | 210 |
Travel & Tourism | 700 | 290 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. |
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Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to enable people aged 16 to 24 who are (a) not universal credit claimants and (b) at risk of unemployment to undertake work placements as part of the Kickstart scheme.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Kickstart Scheme offers six-month jobs for young people aged 16 to 24 years’ old who are currently claiming Universal Credit (UC) and are at risk of long-term unemployment. There are no current plans to extend the eligibility criteria of the Kickstart Scheme.
For those not eligible to claim UC, they can still receive help from our DWP Youth Hubs who work with a range of local providers to help them address and overcome any barriers and support them in moving forward into employment.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what evaluation they have made of their supported employment schemes and employment support programmes for (1) disabled people, and (2) young people, since February 2020.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Department for Work and Pensions’ two main employment support programmes for disabled people are the Work and Health Programme (WHP) and Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES). Both programmes are subject to ongoing evaluation to capture a full range of employment, health and wellbeing outcomes for programme participants.
Alongside these employment schemes, DWP continues to evaluate labour market interventions targeted at disabled people and those with health conditions, including:
The Plan for Jobs includes specific support for young people, including Kickstart, which funds the direct creation of jobs for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. The Department for Work and Pensions will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme, alongside the wider DWP Youth Offer, throughout and after implementation.