The Department for Work and Pensions is set to hire hundreds of new staff who will focus on tackling a backlog in in the Access to Work scheme.
Around 480 case managers and caseworkers will be recruited by September 2027 as part of efforts to deal with some 60,000 outstanding applications for the scheme, which aims to help people with disabilities get back into work – or keep the jobs they already have.
Access to Work can help fund specialist equipment, support workers including British Sign Language interpreters and costs of travelling to work that people with health conditions and disabilities incur.
DWP said demand for the scheme has “surged” in recent years, with the number of claims more than doubling since 2018-19. It said the backlog stood at 48,270 at the end of June 2024, days before the general election that saw the Labour Party sweep to power.
The recruitment drive means that Whitehall’s biggest department is set to grow further. According to the Cabinet Office’s most recent set of annual civil service statistics, DWP had 96,890 staff as of March last year – outnumbering the second-placed Ministry of Justice by around 600.
That said, the MoJ had a higher number of full-time-equivalent staff than DWP, where part-time working is more common.
The just-announced recruitment drive will see the number of staff working on Access to Work increase by more than 70%, based on the current number of 658.
DWP said new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications, ensuring disabled people receive timely support to secure and sustain employment.
Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden described Access to Work as a “lifeline for disabled people” but acknowledged that more action is required to speed up processing of applications.
“When I came to the DWP it was clear there was a major issue with people waiting for a decision,” he said. “That’s why I’m taking action to clear the backlog, because we know that the right support can change lives.
“This is part of our wider commitment to move from a welfare state to a working state, building an economy that works for everyone.”
McFadden has been in post at DWP’s Caxton Street headquarters since September last year. He succeeded Liz Kendall, who was Labour’s first work and pensions secretary following July 2024’s general election.
DWP said the Access to Work recruitment drive is part of a £3.5bn range of measures to break down barriers faced by sick or disabled people by the end of the decade.
Mencap chief executive Jon Sparkes said payment delays related to the Access to Work backlog were “putting enormous pressure on disabled people” and their employers.
“This recruitment drive is a positive step in tackling the systematic delays and bogged down administration that has threatened this vital programme,” he said. “If Access to Work runs as intended, it will help reduce the disability employment gap and get more people with a learning disability into paid work. We look forward to seeing this announcement translate into real, lasting improvement.”