Claim 046968fcChecked 21 Jul 2026
PlausibleOn the evidence scale
“The Labour Government is helping people into work.”
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
The Labour Government has introduced a clear set of policies aimed at helping people into work. The "Get Britain Working" White Paper (November 2024) set out reforms including a new Jobs and Careers Service, Connect to Work, WorkWell, Youth Guarantee trailblazers, and place-based trailblazers with mayoral authorities. The Department for Work and Pensions reported in July 2026 that around 100,000 disabled people and those with health conditions had been helped "closer to work" through the Pathways to Work adviser programme, with participants reportedly 40% more likely to be in work after two years than non-participants.
However, the overall labour market picture is mixed. ONS data for January–March 2026 showed the employment rate at 75.0%, broadly unchanged on the year, while the unemployment rate rose to 5.0% (up 0.5 percentage points year-on-year). Payrolled employees fell by roughly 94,000–104,000 over the year to early 2026. Full Fact noted that between June 2024 and January 2026, payrolled employment fell by approximately 162,000, though the broader LFS measure of people in employment rose by around 655,000 between June 2024 and September 2025 — partly reflecting people moving from economic inactivity into active job-seeking rather than a clean increase in employment. Vacancies fell to their lowest level since 2021.
These aggregate trends are shaped by many factors beyond government employment programmes — including employer National Insurance changes, minimum wage increases, and a broader economic slowdown — making it difficult to isolate the causal contribution of the government's back-to-work schemes. The specific programmes show some evidence of helping individuals into work, but the overall employment effect at the macro level is not clearly established, and some indicators point in the opposite direction.
The government has demonstrably established programmes designed to help people into work, and there is some evidence (e.g., Pathways to Work outcomes data) that these are having a positive effect at the individual level. However, the broader labour market is weakening on several metrics, and the causal link between government policy and aggregate employment outcomes is not decisively established.
Sources:
- Office for National Statistics, "Labour market overview, UK" (Jan–Mar 2026 and Mar–May 2026 bulletins): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/latest
- GOV.UK / DWP, "100,000 people closer to work thanks to Government support" (15 July 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/100000-people-closer-to-work-thanks-to-government-support
- GOV.UK / DWP, "Get Britain Working White Paper" (26 November 2024): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-britain-working-white-paper
- Full Fact, "Unemployment and jobs: what's changed under Labour?": https://fullfact.org/economy/employment-jobs-explainer/
- OECD, "Employment Outlook 2026: United Kingdom": https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-employment-outlook-2026_9c4f5c3e-en/united-kingdom_985655ff-en.html
From speech
They introduced a system that is broken, they put the bill through the roof, and now they want to give us advice on welfare—no thanks! The question should always be not what benefits people are entitled to, but what help we can give people to change their lives. That is what the Work and Pensions Secretary was arguing, and he is right about that. It is a Labour Government that are helping people into work. Leader of the Opposition asks what we have done: more rights for renters, stopping unfair rent hikes, and giving 11 million people greater security and a place to call home; and more rights for workers, including bereavement leave on day one—ask anyone who has lost someone, and they will say just how important it is to have bereavement leave. We have lifted half a million children out of poverty. We often say in this House that every child should go as far as their talent or ability will take them. That does not happen if they are growing up in poverty. The Conservatives have fought us at every turn. I am proud of what we are delivering. There is much more to do.
Sources opened
| [1] | ons.gov.uk |
| [2] | ons.gov.uk |
| [3] | oecd.org |
| [4] | gov.uk |
| [5] | gov.uk |
| [6] | ons.gov.uk |
| [7] | ons.gov.uk |
| [8] | ons.gov.uk |
| [9] | fullfact.org |
| [10] | ons.gov.uk |
| [11] | ons.gov.uk |
| [12] | gov.uk |
| [13] | gov.uk |
| [14] | gov.uk |
| [15] | gov.uk |
| [16] | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| [17] | fullfact.org |
| [18] | fullfact.org |
| [19] | fullfact.org |
| [20] | fullfact.org |