Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 111896, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 2028 delivery date for the Jobs and Careers Service on mobilisation of the UK workforce between now and 2028.

We have interpreted ‘mobilisation of the UK workforce’ to mean moving economically inactive or unemployed individuals into employment.

We are aiming for a fully operational, nationwide, transformed service from 2028/29, with ongoing improvement thereafter. We already provide support to help people into employment through our current Jobcentre offer which will continue and improve as we transition to the new Jobs and Careers Service. We have developed an enhanced employer offer and employer strategy and grown the Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in priority sectors. We have also announced the integration of the careers service in England from October this year, which will provide a more joined up service for customers. In April 2025, we launched our first Pathfinder in Wakefield in April 2025 which is testing elements of the new service including new ways of delivering employment support.

We are also supporting people into employment through wider initiatives including the 17 youth and inactivity trailblazers, NHS Health and Growth Accelerators, Connect to Work programme and the Pathways to Work guarantee. In addition, the national rollout of the Youth Guarantee Gateway will start in April 2026 and follow a phased implementation to ensure adequate provision and infrastructure are in place to meet demand.