Ministers have announced plans to use 1,000 work coaches to help the long-term unemployed get back into work.

The measures are being announced as the government faces having to make potential cuts of billions of pounds from the welfare budget.

Thousands of sick and disabled people will be affected by the new measures that will bolster the support offered in jobcentres and make the welfare system more sustainable, the Department for Work and Pensions has announced today (6).

The plans will see 1,000 existing Work Coaches deployed in 2025/26 to deliver intensive voluntary support to around 65,000 sick and disabled people.

The coaches will provide employment support and help claimants write CVs and improve interview techniques.

Thousands of sick and disabled people will be affected by the new measures

Work coaches have been told to focus on tackling economic inactivity in order to make the welfare system more sustainable and are part of wide-ranging plans to overhaul employment support, with more set to be unveiled in just a few weeks’ time.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall said: “We inherited a broken welfare system that is failing sick and disabled people, is bad for the taxpayer, and holding the economy back.

“For too long, sick, and disabled people have been told they can’t work, denied support, and locked out of jobs, with all the benefits that good work brings.

“But many sick and disabled people want and can work, with the right support. And we know that good work is good for people – for their living standards, for their mental and physical health, and for their ability to live independently. 

“We’re determined to fix the broken benefits system by delivering proper support to help people get into work and get on at work, so we can get Britain working and deliver our ambition of an 80% employment rate.”