This was revealed during the launch of a new campaign to help 500,000 benefit claimants find jobs by the end of June.

The Way to Work campaign aims to fill a record number of vacancies nationwide.

It will focus on getting job-ready people out of Universal Credit and into work, quickly filling vacancies that are at an all-time high.

The campaign is aimed primarily at members of the intensive job search group on Universal Credit.

The latest unemployment figure for the West Midlands was 138,000, down 4,000 from the previous quarter.

To help people find jobs faster, those who are able to work will have to search more widely for available jobs from the fourth week of their application, rather than from three months as is currently the case.

This clearer guidance will ensure that, if people are unable to find work in their previous occupation or sector, they are expected to seek work in another sector and this will be part of their requirements to receive their allowance.

For the vast majority of people who are already fully engaged with Jobcentre Plus, this could be the extra support they need to find a job. However, for the small minority who do not engage, the sanctions regime will operate as usual.

People will be accompanied with more time spent face to face with a work coach to receive better personalized support.

Mark Whitehouse, Birmingham-based Jobcentre Plus Senior Partnership Manager, said: “Our dedicated work coaches in the West Midlands are working hard to help people get back to work as we bounce back from the pandemic.

“We want people to know that we are here for them and that we are working with employers to identify and help fill their vacancies across all sectors, especially key industries.”

Building on the success of the Kickstart program, DWP will work with a wider range of employers to build positive relationships and show them the good quality of candidates who come through Jobcentres.

This includes direct engagement with employers in booming sectors like construction, transport, logistics and social services, and more than 350 job fairs across Britain in the coming months.

Major employers, including Balfour Beatty, Whitbread Group, TalkTalk, Bourne Leisure, Ocado and Kier, are already supporting the campaign.

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