Hundreds of thousands of jobseekers could have ‘disappeared’ from official unemployment figures after having their benefit payments docked, figures suggest. According to research from the University of Oxford, up to 500,000 unemployed people closed their Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claim soon after being sanctioned by the DWP. Rather than moving into employment, these people are simply … Continue reading
As recently as 2008 there were fewer than 6,000 18-24 year olds who had been on Jobseekers’ Allowance for more than a year. That number is now just under 50,000 – more than eight times as many. This is not just the recession and its aftermath: after falling back somewhat in the year to May … Continue reading