Everyone deserves proper help and support to move into work, but too many people aren’t getting the help they need.
Official statistics show that 22% of people out of the workforce because of sickness in Wales, really want a job. Labour will take action to help those 32,500 people to get back into the workplace.
The UK Conservative Government is failing people who are out of work due to sickness.
The near-record vacancies in the economy are undermining growth and stalling living standards, all whilst hundreds of thousands of people who want to work are not getting the help they need.
As part of Labour’s plans, we will reform the Work Capability Assessment regime for those on benefits – removing the need for reassessments for potentially thousands of people. Labour will allow claimants to agree with their benefits advisor that if they try paid work and it does not work out, within a period of a year they can go back to the exact benefits they were on, with no fresh health assessments required.
Since the pandemic there has been an especially sharp uptick in economic inactive amongst workers aged over 50.
Labour research has found that there are 13,100 more 50-64-year-olds in Wales who are economically inactive because of long-term sickness than before the pandemic. This amounts to a substantial 20% per cent increase in older people outside the workforce because of ill health.
The next UK Labour Government will introduce targeted help for the over-50s. We’ll also reform employment support, devolved to local areas, with a commitment to provide tailored support in every local area for harder to help groups.
For too long, UK Conservative Governments have been failing those who are out of work.
Our reforms are part of a fundamentally different and new approach, where we prioritise wellbeing and security above all when helping people into work.
We’ll do this by offering genuine quality, tailored support for those who want it with help to explore the opportunities available and what might be appropriate.
We’ll provide people with more independence, inclusion and fulfilment. For people who cannot work, we guarantee security. For people who do want to work we’ll stand by them throughout any steps they are able to take, as they move into employment.
The Tories have let down millions of people who are out of work due to sickness. Labour will support them.
We need a Labour UK Government, which will be committed to delivering an employment support system that meets the needs of workers, those who want to get back into work, and businesses across Wales.