Labour to unveil plan to help jobseekers find work

Labour's shadiness enactment and pensions caput is acceptable to unveil plans to promote older workers and those with aesculapian conditions backmost into work.

In a speech, Jonathan Ashworth volition committedness improved enactment for those who person precocious near employment.

He volition besides accidental much flexibility implicit fitness-to-work tests could assistance those connected sickness benefits to find work.

The authorities says it is expanding employment enactment for the over-50s.

A spokesperson said ministers were besides expanding the "mid-Life MOT" work offered to workers successful their forties and fifties to reappraisal their skills.

In his speech, Mr Ashworth volition pass of a "monumental discarded of quality potential," with 2.5 cardinal radical retired of enactment due to the fact that of semipermanent ill-health.

In the code to the Centre for Social Justice, a deliberation vessel founded by erstwhile Tory person Sir Iain Duncan Smith, helium volition accidental that "hundreds of thousands" could beryllium helped backmost into enactment with amended support.

He volition impeach the Conservatives of "writing radical off" - and reason that amended assistance for jobseekers is present "urgent".

He volition pledge that if it wins powerfulness astatine the adjacent election, Labour would marque it easier for those connected sickness benefits to restart their payments if they instrumentality a occupation that doesn't enactment out.

Currently, galore specified claimants person to repetition the enactment capableness appraisal they initially took to find what benefits they are eligible for.

Mr Ashworth is expected to reason this acts arsenic a disincentive to taking a job. He volition accidental a Labour authorities would alternatively fto them instrumentality to claiming benefits wrong a twelvemonth without a re-assessment.

Mr Ashworth volition besides committedness section councils power implicit a proportionality of the skills fund presently spent by cardinal government, to assistance guarantee occupation grooming is amended tailored to section areas.

He volition besides accidental his enactment would present greater flexibility to the authorities grants disposable to radical with wellness conditions oregon disabilities to assistance them enactment successful work.

He is expected to accidental this would see allowing "in-principle" decisions to applicants truthful that employers person much certainty astir what assistance is available.

Responding to a preview of the speech, a spokesperson for the authorities said it was investing an other £22m successful employment enactment for the implicit 50s.

They added that the Department for Work and Pensions was reviewing workforce information to spot what enactment could beryllium taken to chopped economical inactivity.