The Department’s evaluations show that Universal Credit is having a positive impact on the labour market, but these have assessed only the short-term impact on claimants. The Department’s studies have evaluated the short-term impact for individuals who made a claim for Universal Credit in 2018 or earlier. The findings include that single people are two percentage points more likely to have been in employment at any point in the six months after starting their Universal Credit claim than new J...

The Department’s evaluations show that Universal Credit is having a positive impact on the labour market, but these have assessed only the short-term impact on claimants. The Department’s studies have evaluated the short-term impact for individuals who made a claim for Universal Credit in 2018 or earlier. The findings include that single people are two percentage points more likely to have been in employment at any point in the six months after starting their Universal Credit claim than new Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants; and single parents are five percentage points more likely to have been in work within six months of making a new Universa Type: conclusion | Number: 2 | Response status: not_accepted Government response: The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Tracking the types of employment Universal Credit claimants take up, and the duration of the claim, were not objectives of the Universal Credit Programme. The department remains committed to understandin