Work and Pensions Committee publishes report on Jobcentre reforms calling for conditionality overhaul

The Work and Pensions Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, published a report on 8 September 2025 examining the Government's planned Jobcentre reforms, calling on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to reform the conditionality regime and sanctions applied to jobseekers and to people in work on Universal Credit¹.

Under current rules, Universal Credit claimants must sign a commitment to undertake certain activities, including a requirement to spend 35 hours a week looking for work, to receive their benefits and avoid sanctions¹. The report concluded that work-search requirements are "too generic and sometimes counterproductive", leaving people "feeling disempowered and unsupported", and recommended that a personalised action plan, co-developed between the claimant and their work coach, replace the Claimant Commitment¹.

On sanctions, the Committee recommended that the DWP consider safeguarding and "trauma-informed approaches" tailored to claimants' personal circumstances¹. It also recommended a return to the pre-2022 conditionality regime, under which claimants were given 3 months to find work rather than the 4 weeks they have now¹. The report said the extra time would improve the chances of claimants finding a suitable job and remaining employed, and found that the previous "any job" approach produced poor job retention¹.

The report also addressed the Jobcentre workforce. Of the Jobcentre's 17,000 work coaches, it concluded they were an "incredible" asset but could be deployed better, and that the 10 minutes allowed for interviews with claimants was "not nearly enough to address the needs of claimants who are further from employment"¹. MPs called for a review of the work coach model and the difference it makes to employment outcomes, including consideration of greater autonomy¹.

The Committee described the reforms as a "golden opportunity" for transformation, and welcomed the refocusing of Jobcentres' core role away from benefits monitoring towards employment support, along with the merger of Jobcentres with the National Careers Service¹. It said it will report on that merger later in the week¹.

Why it matters for households

The report concerns people claiming benefits who have work-related requirements attached to their Universal Credit, including jobseekers and people in work on Universal Credit¹. Its recommendations are not government policy: they are proposals from a select committee, and the DWP has not been reported as accepting them. Nothing in the report changes anyone's current conditions, sanctions or permitted period, and no date has been given for any change¹.

If adopted, the proposals would alter what claimants are asked to do and how long they have to find work. The permitted period would move from 4 weeks to 3 months, and the Claimant Commitment would be replaced by a personalised action plan agreed with a work coach¹. Sanctions decisions would take account of safeguarding and "trauma-informed approaches"¹. The report also raises the time claimants get with work coaches, currently 10 minutes per interview, and the deployment of the 17,000 work coaches¹.

What happens next

The Committee said it will publish a further report on the merger of Jobcentres with the National Careers Service later in the week beginning 8 September 2025¹. No timetable has been reported for the DWP to respond to the recommendations.