DWP caught using evidence from TWENTY years ago to punish claimants

The National Audit Office (NAO) has released a scathing report condemning the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over its management of jobcentres, highlighting severe shortfalls, outdated models, and deteriorating performance. Most concerningly, the department is using a ‘support’ model to deal with claimants based on evidence from 20 years ago – before Universal Credit even existed.

With significant gaps in staffing and support, the DWP is accused of consistently failing to meet claimants’ needs and government employment ambitions. Moreover, the report completely undermines the Labour government’s supposed ‘reforms’ of the DWP – showing even by it own, callous measures they won’t be enough anyway.

The DWP: not enough staff

The NAO report reveals a stark shortfall of work coaches in UK jobcentres, identifying a deficit of approximately 2,100 coaches in the first half of 2024-2025 alone—an alarming 10.9% below required numbers. Such shortfalls are hardly a new phenomenon; indeed, these gaps have persisted over the past three years, exacerbated by insufficient funding and challenges in recruitment and retention.

This lack of adequate staffing means the DWP has frequently needed to prioritise certain claimant groups over others, often neglecting those in the “Light Touch” category. As a consequence, around 900,000 claimants in this group, who earn above the lowest thresholds but still require substantial support, are often left without the necessary guidance.

Perhaps most concerningly, the NAO exposes the DWP’s outdated approach. The current support model is based on evaluations dating back to between 2005-2015, long before Universal Credit became the primary benefits system.

Punishing claimants using a model from 20 years ago

Specifically, the NAO noted that one of the evidence bases the DWP used was:

2005 Jobseeker’s Allowance intervention pilots: The results of this trial showed that excusing claimants from meetings with work coaches or conducting meetings over the telephone increased the time claimants spent on Jobseeker’s Allowance when compared with fortnightly face-to-face meetings during the first 13 weeks of a claim.

Two other evaluations were used where more punitive levels of dealing with claimants were recommended – like increased frequency of face-to-face meetings. These evaluations fail to consider current socio-economic conditions, modern employment challenges, or the broader implementation of Universal Credit. Yet the DWP will right now be punishing claimants for failing to meet this outdated regimen.

The DWP itself admits to these limitations, yet continues to rely heavily on this outdated system.

The repercussions of such oversight are significant.

An absolute mess

Regular interactions between claimants and work coaches, central to this model, have been severely compromised due to staffing shortages. Jobcentres, forced to use flexible measures to manage caseloads, frequently reduce the duration and frequency of claimant meetings, directly undermining the stated objective of providing tailored, comprehensive support.

Labour has only committed to providing an additional 1,000 work coaches – less than half of what’s needed. Plus, it’s pledged £55 million to pilot new digital and support systems. However, the NAO report casts significant doubt on whether these measures will suffice to remedy the underlying structural weaknesses.

The report also notes a troubling decline in jobcentres’ performance, with the average monthly “into-work” rate dropping from 9.7% in 2021-22 to just 8.2% in 2023-24. This rate is now lower than pre-pandemic levels, signaling a clear regression. Significant regional disparities persist, with Birmingham and Solihull notably struggling at a mere 5.5% into-work rate.

Given the government’s long-standing target of achieving an 80% employment rate—a goal reiterated in its recent “Get Britain Working” white paper released on 18 March 2025—such declining performance is deeply problematic.

The government’s reforms, which include merging jobcentres with the National Careers Service to create a new jobs and careers service, aim to prioritise genuine support over mere compliance monitoring. Yet, in light of the NAO findings, these measures appear insufficient without addressing fundamental staffing and operational issues.

The DWP: raze it to the ground

The NAO stresses several urgent actions for the DWP to ensure meaningful reform. It recommends a thorough evaluation of staffing shortfalls, improved accountability and performance management within jobcentres, and a comprehensive overhaul of its outdated service delivery models based on up-to-date evidence and rigorous evaluation.

Without prompt and substantial improvements, the NAO warns, the government’s commendable ambition of an 80% employment rate will remain elusive, perpetuating cycles of unemployment, economic inactivity, and regional inequality.

Moreover, little in the NAO report is about chronically ill and disabled people – despite the DWP’s current obsession with them. The report is centred around jobseekers and those who want to increase their hours – and the fact that currently, the DWP isn’t even getting support right for these people.

However, what the NAO report ultimately shows is the DWP is not fit for purpose. Even by Labour’s own metrics, the department is failing – and its planned reforms will be completely insufficient.

Of course, this is not why Labour is making the changes it is. The government is stealing money from disabled people to fuel its war machine while allowing the rich to pay less. This, in tandem with the NAO report, show a system broken and in disarray – and one that should be burned to the ground.

Featured image via the Canary