Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEconomics, government & businessDepartment for Work and PensionsLabour market

Benefit claimants unable to work double in number

by Jo Faragher 19 Feb 2025
by Jo Faragher 19 Feb 2025 The government wants to help those who can't work and currently claim Universal Credit back into the jobs market
AndrewMcKenna / Shutterstock.com
The government wants to help those who can't work and currently claim Universal Credit back into the jobs market
AndrewMcKenna / Shutterstock.com

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall has claimed that ‘too many people are shut out of work’ as the government pushes ahead with plans for welfare reform.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions show that the number of people claiming Universal Credit with no requirement to work has doubled in three years.

There were 7.5 million people on Universal Credit in January 2025, provisional figures show, the highest level since the introduction of the flagship benefit in 2013. In March 2022, this figure was 5.5 million.

The number claiming the benefit with no requirement to work was 3.1 million in January 2025, around double the figure in January 2022 and making up 42% of claimants.

Welfare reform

Get Britain Working: DWP unveils employment support reforms 

Older workers with health conditions face ’employment gap’ 

No requirement to work means that someone has been assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity. This includes having health or caring responsibilities that prevent someone working; people in full-time education; those over state pension age or someone with a child under the age of one.

This category overtook the number of claimants reported as ‘searching for work’ in April 2022 and has been growing ever since, the DWP said. Just over a third (37%) of claimants were in employment in December 2024.

Kendall said: “Many sick and disabled people tell us they want to work with the right support. But for too long they’ve been denied a fair chance to get jobs. Potential is being wasted, businesses are missing out on untapped talent, and our economy is suffering.”

The DWP attributed some of the increase in people claiming the benefit without work to changes in the welfare system meaning people moved from legacy benefits onto Universal Credit.

In November, the government launched its Get Britain Working white paper, outlining ambitious plans to achieve 80% employment. The paper proposes fundamental reforms to the current support system, aimed at tackling the root causes of unemployment and inactivity such as health issues and skills needs.

Kendall told ITV earlier this month that she thought some claimants were “taking the mickey”, but that many wanted to return to work if their health improved or with more support to find suitable work.

There have also been suggestions that the government could remove the highest category of universal credit health claims, which can give claimants up to £5,000 more a year without having to look for work. This would remove the financial and practical incentives of being signed off sick, MPs claim.

Kendall said proposals for benefits reform would be revealed “within weeks”.

As part of its Plan for Change announced shortly after the election, the government recently launched a ‘jobs on wheels’ service aimed at driving up access to employment.

Mobile Jobcentre vans have been visiting areas with particularly high levels of unemployment and economic inactivity to offer people support with job searching, training opportunities and information on help with childcare costs.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

Organisational Development opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more Organisational development jobs

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Architects call for review of sponsored worker visa rules
next post
Pay awards restrained as inflation climbs

You may also like

Jobcentres battle with shortage of work coaches

31 Mar 2025

Spring Statement: no relief on employers’ tax hikes

26 Mar 2025

Get Britain Working: DWP unveils employment support reforms

26 Nov 2024

Lifetime provider model for pensions scrapped

28 Oct 2024

Older workers with health conditions face ’employment gap’

14 Oct 2024

DWP fleshes out welfare reform plans

24 Jul 2024

Government launches Back to Work plan to tackle...

11 Jul 2024

Labour ministers begin work on employment issues

8 Jul 2024

Deaf man awarded £50k after Jobcentre failures

28 May 2024

Skills ‘bootcamps’ to tackle unemployment

21 May 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+