Investigating sustainability in work after participating in a welfare-to-work initiative using a 2-year cohort study of Work Programme participants in Scotland

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated sustainability and multimorbidity alongside barriers to employment including health and policy to demonstrate intersectional impact on return-to-work success within a UK welfare-to-work programme. Design: Cohort study design: The study calculated the proportion of time spent employed after experiencing a job start and the proportion retaining work over 6 months. Employment/unemployment periods were calculated, sequence-index plots were produced and visualisations were explored by benefit type and age. Setting: This study used confidential access to deidentified data from unemployed Work Programme clients operated by Ingeus on behalf of the UK Government in Scotland between 1 April 2013 and 31 July 2014. Participants: 13 318 unemployed clients aged 18–64 years were randomly allocated to a Work Programme provider and monitored over 2 years. Results: This study has two distinct groupings. ‘Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)’ corresponding to those with work-limiting disability in receipt of related state financial support, and ‘Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)’ corresponding to unemployment claimants. Despite fewer and later job starts for ESA clients, those that gained employment spend relatively more subsequent time in employment when compared with individuals without work-limiting conditions (ESA clients under 50, 0.73; ESA clients over 50, 0.79; JSA clients under 50, 0.67 and JSA clients over 50, 0.68). Proportion in permanent jobs was higher among ESA than JSA clients (JSA under 50, 92%; JSA over 50, 92%; ESA under 50, 95% and ESA over 50, 97%). Conclusion: The research demonstrated that returning to paid employment after a reliance on welfare benefits is challenging for people aged over 50 and those with disability. The study found that although fewer older ESA claimants entered employment, they typically remained in employment more than JSA clients who did not leave the Work Programme early. This indicates the importance of identifying risk factors for job loss in ageing workers and the development of interventions for extension of working lives.