Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 11
The Authors 12
Abbreviations 13
Glossary of terms 16
Summary 17
1. Introduction 23
1.1 Policy context and background 24
1.2 The policy initiatives 26
1.2.1 The Jobseekers Regime and Flexible New Deal 26
1.2.2 Additional services during the recession 28
1.2.3 Adviser Flexibilities 30
1.3 The evaluation design 31
1.4 Part Ⅰ: Early implementation research 32
1.5 Part Ⅱ: JRFND Stage 1 Customer surveys 33
1.6 Report structure 33
Part Ⅰ: Early Implementation: JRFND, Adviser Flexibilities, 6MO and SNU qualitative process study 35
2. Early implementation site visits 36
2.1 Research methods 36
2.2 Outline of Part 1 38
3. Implementation issues 39
3.1 Economic downturn 39
3.2 New services and an enhanced regime 40
3.2.1 Adaptations and easements 41
3.3 Training and support 42
3.4 Service awareness and communication of feedback 43
3.4.1 Service duplication and gaps 45
3.4.2 Feedback mechanisms 45
3.5 Summary 46
4. JRFND Stages 1 to 3 47
4.1 Stage 1 47
4.1.1 Process and services 47
4.1.2 Back to Work Sessions 49
4.1.3 Fast-tracking 50
4.2 Stage 2 51
4.2.1 Process and variations 51
4.2.2 Weekly signing (Stages 2 and 3) 52
4.2.3 Intensifying customer contact 53
4.3 Stage 3 54
4.3.1 Process and variations 54
4.3.2 Mandatory activities 55
4.4 Conditionality and sanctioning 56
4.5 Summary 57
5. Adviser Flexibilities 60
5.1 Design and implementation of AF 60
5.2 Understandings of AF on the ground 61
5.3 Flexibilities in practice 62
5.3.1 Adviser views 63
5.4 Factors influencing the practice of flexibility 64
5.4.1 Adviser confidence 64
5.4.2 Management practices 65
5.4.3 Resource constraints 65
5.5 Summary 66
6. Support for the Newly Unemployed 68
6.1 Offer of support 68
6.2 Jobcentre Plus provision 70
6.2.1 Group session on job search techniques 70
6.2.2 One-to-one support 72
6.3 Contracted provision 73
6.3.1 General job search support 73
6.3.2 Support for professionals and executives 74
6.4 Summary 75
7. The Six Month Offer 77
7.1 Offer of services 77
7.2 Additional advisory support 79
7.3 Self-marketing voucher 80
7.4 Work-focused training 81
7.5 Self-employment support 83
7.6 Volunteering 84
7.7 Summary 84
Part Ⅱ: JRFND Stage 1 Customer Survey 86
8. JRFND Stage 1 Customer Survey 87
8.1 Methodology 88
8.2 Statistical significance and confidence intervals 89
8.3 Reporting conventions 90
8.4 Structure of Part 2 91
9. Customer experiences: Nature of JRFND Stage 1 support 92
9.1 Support offered 92
9.2 Support for the Newly Unemployed (SNU) 94
9.3 Differences between Phase 1 and Phase 2 support offered 95
9.4 Variation in support offered by customer type 95
9.5 Early progression to Stage 2 98
9.6 Usefulness of support offered 98
9.7 Most useful form of support 103
9.8 Summary 105
10. Customer experiences: Views of Stage 1 support 107
10.1 Introduction 107
10.2 Overall satisfaction 107
10.3 How support experienced during recent claim compares with previous experiences 109
10.4 Jobcentre Plus support 110
10.5 Evidence of tailoring to customer needs or pressure to undertake unsuitable activities 112
10.6 Summary 114
11. Outcomes: Claim status 115
11.1 Introduction 115
11.2 Moving off JSA 115
11.3 Length of claim 117
11.4 Claim status summary 119
12. Outcomes: Entering paid work 121
12.1 Introduction 121
12.2 Entering paid work after ending claim 122
12.3 Customer types within Phase 1 who are less likely to enter paid work 122
12.4 Customer types more likely to enter paid work in Phase 1 than in Phase 2 125
12.5 Length of claim, support offered and the likelihood of entering paid work 126
12.6 Types of paid work 129
12.7 Remaining in paid work (not returning to JSA) 130
12.8 Leaving paid work or returning to JSA claiming 131
12.9 Summary 132
13. Outcomes: Destinations other than paid employment 134
13.1 Not entering paid work 135
13.2 Entering unpaid work 135
13.3 Entering training or education 135
13.4 Returning to JSA claiming 136
13.5 Moving onto another benefit for the out of work 136
13.6 Retiring, claiming a pension or Pension Credit 136
13.7 Other destinations 137
13.8 Summary 137
14. Outcomes: Nature of employment 138
14.1 Introduction 138
14.2 Number of hours worked 138
14.3 Channel by which employment was gained 140
14.4 Contract type 141
14.5 Salary Information 143
14.6 Tax credits 147
14.7 Sector and Industry 148
14.8 Occupation 150
14.9 Summary 153
15. Outcomes: Views of employment 154
15.1 Introduction 154
15.2 Time spent in employment before ending or returning to JSA claim 154
15.3 Reasons for leaving work or returning to JSA claiming 155
15.4 Suitability of work outcome 156
15.5 Promotion prospects and training opportunities 159
15.6 Summary 160
16. Overall discussion and conclusions 161
16.1 Scope of this research 162
16.2 Overall discussion of the findings and summary conclusion 163
16.3 Part Ⅰ: Implementation 166
16.4 Emergent themes from the site visits 167
16.4.1 New initiatives introduced during recessionary times 167
16.4.2 Expectations for change in adviser service culture 167
16.4.3 Expectations for change in customer obligations 168
16.4.4 Interactions between the policy initiatives 168
16.5 Implementation recommendations 169
16.6 Part Ⅱ: Customer Survey 170
16.6.1 Observable differentials between JRFND and JSA customers 170
16.6.2 Lone parents 171
16.6.3 Those with no or low qualifications (below Level 2) 172
16.6.4 PSA 16 groups 172
16.6.5 Younger customers (aged 18-24) 172
16.6.6 Customers aged 25-49 172
16.6.7 Older customers (aged 50 or over) 173
16.6.8 Those with a disability, illness or health problem 173
16.6.9 Ethnic minority customers 173
Appendix A - Sampling, fieldwork outcomes and weighting 174
A.1 Sampling 174
A.2 Opt out and fieldwork outcomes 175
A.3 Completed interviews 175
A.4 Permission to link data and be contacted for longitudinal survey 176
A.5 Weighting 176
Appendix B - Profile of customers in study 177
Appendix C - Qualitative fieldwork 181
References 183
Table 2.1 Implementation study evaluation districts 37
Table 8.1 Achieved interviews by Phase and age at start of claim according to DWP records 89
Table 8.2 Confidence intervals 90
Table 9.1 Most useful form of support 104
Table 14.1 Proportion working 30 hours or more per week, by working status at time of interview and Phase 140
Table 14.2 Proportion who gained employment through an agency, by working status at time of interview and Phase 141
Table 14.3 Proportion employed on a casual or temporary basis by working status at time of interview and Phase 143
Table 14.4 Annual salaries of customer groups in Phase 2 areas annual salaries among those working for an employer since ending their JSA claim 145
Table 14.5 Number of interviews with customers who had entered work conducted in London and non-London districts across Phase 146
Table 14.6 Average mean salaries of those in London districts compared to those customers in non-London districts 146
Table A.1 Fieldwork outcomes 175
Table A.2 Achieved interviews by Phase and age at start of claim according to DWP records 176
Table B.1 Weighted customer profile within Phase 178
Table B.2 Jobcentre Plus Districts in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of JRFND 180
Table C.1 Wave 1 fieldwork activity per office 181
Table C.2 Wave 2 fieldwork activity per office 182
Figure 1.1 JRFND customer survey 34
Figure 9.1 Support offered by Phase 93
Figure 9.2 Customer views on usefulness of support (Ⅰ) 99
Figure 9.3 Customer views on usefulness of support (Ⅱ) 100
Figure 9.4 Customer views on usefulness of SNU provision 102
Figure 9.5 Customer views on usefulness of the BtWS 103
Figure 10.1 Overall satisfaction with Jobcentre Plus support 108
Figure 10.2 How Jobcentre Plus support received during claim started in June 2009 compares to support received during previous JSA claims 109
Figure 10.3 Jobcentre Plus support association with various skills and attributes 111
Figure 10.4 Whether customer agreed that support offered was appropriate and whether felt under pressure to take part in unsuitable activities 113
Figure 11.1 Whether by time of interview in September 2009 had ended JSA claim started in June 2009 116
Figure 11.2 Length of JSA claim 119
Figure 12.1 All destinations 121
Figure 12.2 Those who entered paid work - by age, gender, ethnicity, health/disability and parental status 123
Figure 12.3 Those who entered paid work - by qualification level, PSA 16 status, housing situation and partner's claiming status 124
Figure 12.4 Those who entered paid work - by Jobcentre Plus support offered 127
Figure 12.5 Main or most recent type of paid work entered 130
Figure 12.6 Whether entered paid work and/or returned to JSA claiming 131
Figure 14.1 Number of hours worked per week 139
Figure 14.2 Contract type of all those who have worked for an employer at some point since ending their JSA claim 142
Figure 14.3 Annual salary of those who have entered work at some point since ending their JSA claim 144
Figure 14.4 The main or most recent sector customers have worked in since ending their JSA claim 149
Figure 14.5 The main or most recent occupations of customers who have worked at some point since ending their JSA claim 151
Figure 15.1 Length of employment 155
Figure 15.2 Reasons for customers leaving their job 156
Figure 15.3 Whether main or most recent work entered was a good match for customers' skills and interests 157
Figure 15.4 Reasons for taking up 'unsuitable' work 158