Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants

Important information regarding Universal Jobserarch (UJ)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), management in some Job Centre Plusdistricts were instructing advisers to tell benefit claimants that Universal Jobserarch UJ is mandatory and access must given to the DWP.

As a result of legal challenges and negative press attention, DWP have revised the guidance on UJ to make it clear that this cannot be done.

The UJ Jobmatch tool-kit chapter 3, paragraph 50, states: "You cannot issue a Jobseeker's Direction to either require a claimant to create a profile and CV in Universal Jobmatch or to mandate a claimant to give the DWP access to their account - this is their decision not ours."

Paragraph 52 also states that "We cannot specify to a claimant how they provide us with records of their jobsearch activity and Universal Jobmatch will not change this."

DWP management on many occasions issued to claimants a Jobseeker Directions that were incorrect - know your rights group members, dont be bullied into compliance !!