Compulsory community work for 50,000 job seekers

Job Centre staff will get new powers to force job seekers into unpaid community work

A pilot scheme introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions to encourage the long term unemployed to undertake voluntary work will be rolled out across the country.

The scheme was part of a crackdown on benefit fraud introduced by the Coalition Government last year. The scheme aimed to target those people that had been in long term receipt of Job Seekers Allowance and offered them four weeks of unpaid community work as a means to develop skills and boost confidence in an increasingly competitive job market.

When claimants were introduced to the scheme, 20 per cent immediately stopped claiming their benefits. A further 30 per cent didn't turn up for their voluntary work placement and subsequently had their benefit payments cancelled.

The pilot has encouraged the employment minister Chris Grayling to launch a new £5m scheme to target a further 50,000 job seekers who will be compelled to undertake voluntary work or face losing their benefits. Local Job Centre staff will be given new authority to force benefit claimants to take part in the scheme.

Voluntary and community agencies along with some private firms will be financially incentivised to develop the employability potential of job seekers as part of the scheme.