Wales

Overview

In helping our customers, we work in partnership with a wide range of public, private and voluntary organisations throughout Wales, like the Welsh Assembly Government, Welsh Local Government Association, Local Authorities, Education & learning Wales (ELWa), Legal Services Commission, Commission for Racial Equality, Citizens Advice Bureau, Prison & Probation Services, Welsh Development Agency and the Wales Employment Advisory Panel (WEAP).

Together we are delivering new and innovative ways of reaching out to our hardest to help customers.

Regional Initiatives

Our initiatives range from jobs fairs, recruitment and training for individual employers or industries, to national and regional projects such as:

• Ambition projects - are designed by Jobcentre Plus and the National Employment Panel in partnership with employers. Ambition aims to help unemployed and disadvantaged people into good jobs that pay well, and have real career potential, as well as enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of UK employers. Examples of this in Wales have been Ambition Retail and Ambition Energy.
• Freshstart - ensures that ex-offenders are guaranteed an early New Jobseeker's Interview on release from prison.
• Progress to Work - ensuring former drug abusers are given the opportunity and support needed to end their dependency and begin to lead a more stable life.
• Progress to Work - LinkUp is for customers who are ex-offenders, homeless or alcohol misusers.
• Age Positive Cymru - working with partners to ensure that employers and partners are educated on the benefits of age diversity.
• Want2Work - is a joint initiative between Welsh Assembly Government and Jobcentre Plus to develop and deliver a package of measures aimed at helping people on inactive benefits living in targeted areas to overcome a range of barriers and move into work.

The team also undertakes a diverse range of duties including involvement with specialised partnerships eg - Childcare, Basic Skills, Ethnic Minorities, Asylum Seekers, Transport and Refugees.

For more information on initiatives happening within the Districts in Wales, please select the District names alongside the map of Wales (above).

Please feel free to contact us if you would like to talk about our work in more detail.

Contact Phil Miller on: 029 20 380603 or e-mail Phil.Miller1@Jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

Labour Market Information

Made up of 22 Unitary Authority areas.

Summary Data - 2003

• total population 2,938,000
• working age population 1,765,100
• number claiming working age benefits 322,200 - May 04
• number in employment 1,227,000

Employment Breakdown

• Agriculture and Fishing 2.1%
• Energy and Water 1.3%
• Manufacturing 15.8%
• Construction 8.1%
• Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants 19.9%
• Transport and Communications 5.6%
• Banking, Finance and Insurance 10.3%
• Public Administration, Education & Health 30.9%
• Other Services 6.0%

Annual Reports and Accounts

This informs partners of our key corporate priorities and achievements of the previous year and the key business changes in our geographical area.
Key points from the report:-

• Our targets for the year reflect a focus on helping people into work and paying the right people the right money on time every time.
• The network of new Jobcentres is now complete in Wales. Nationally, customers will be able to access Jobcentre Plus' services through around 1,000 locations including Jobcentres, contact centres, benefit delivery centres and sites where services are delivered in conjunction with our partner organisations. Customers are reacting positively to the new office environment.
• The number of people using the Jobcentre Plus website has nearly doubled over the past year, with over 7.1 million users logging onto the site during October 2006.
• We have started to establish a national network of 77 benefit delivery centres by March 2008. These sites will give a much better customer service with rapid resolution of customer's queries over the telephone.
• We plan to introduce an 0800 facility for customers seeking benefits as part of a simpler claims process.
• Our Job Outcome Target now recognises our work with many external partners including employment agencies in helping people into work. It will also help us to improve our services to employers, who will not have to field follow up questions to confirm whether our customers have filled their vacancies.
• We continue to focus on performance improvements, in particular in benefits accuracy and clearance times, and are making real progress in the campaign against benefit fraud.

A copy of our Annual Report and Accounts can be requested from Judy Hughes, by e-mail on Judy.hughes@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk or by telephone on 02920 348370

Wales External Relations Manager

Jo Llewhellin 02920 381159 - e-mail: jocelyn.llewhellin@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk