Department for Work and Pensions
Today, Hemsworth, Pontefract, Castleford and Wakefield jobcentres join the rest of Yorkshires jobcentres in offering Universal Credit to all new single jobseekers.
Over 11,000 people are claiming Universal Credit in Yorkshire, with 4 in 10 having moved into work under the new service.
Universal Credit is designed to ensure people will be better off in work and the latest statistics show that people claiming it are finding work faster and earning more.
Those on Universal Credit are significantly more likely to find employment than those on Jobseekers Allowance and for the first time ever, support is being offered to claimants to progress in their careers and increase their earnings.
Welfare Reform Minister, David Freud said:
Today marks a real milestone with Universal Credit now available across Yorkshire.
Universal Credit allows people to keep more of what they earn and helps them to move into work faster giving them the confidence, self-esteem, and security that a job and a paypacket bring. In Yorkshire, 4.500 people on Universal Credit have now moved into work benefitting from the better work incentives that the new service offers.
Are you ready to claim Universal Credit? Its a single monthly benefit that makes it easier to take up a wider range of jobs and get back to work quickly.
How Universal Credit can help you into work
Universal Credit will eventually replace 6 existing benefits:
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Income Support
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credits
- Housing Benefit
See the list of jobcentre areas where you can claim Universal Credit.