Jobcentre Plus

Jobcentre Plus is part of the Department for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom.

A Jobcentre Plus in Cambridge, England.

In 2019 there were 638 offices in the country.^[1] In 2022 194 new temporary Jobcentres and 150 Youth Hubs were set up by Thérèse Coffey. This was part of the government’s Way to Work Campaign to get more people across Great Britain into work.^[2]

Universal Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Maternity Allowance, Bereavement benefits and Social Fund payments are managed by people in the Jobcentres. Work Coaches at the Jobcentres are employed to help people get support they need to get into work.

History

Sign from a Labour Exchange

Labour exchanges were set up by Herbert Asquith's government in 1910. They were soon renamed employment exchanges. When the National Insurance system started in 1913 Unemployment Benefit was paid there. They were also used to pay National Assistance after 1948. Unemployed people had to sign on once every 2 weeks to get their money. Separate Jobcentres were started in 1973. They advertised jobs. Unemployed people had to sign on there to look for work and then collect their money from the employment exchange. Later the employment exchanges were turned into Jobcentres.

They paid out about £100 million a year in benefits in 2005/6. In 2010 there were about 71,000 people working in 750 Jobcentres. ^[3]