Homepage
Overview
Maintaining a stable economy
Promoting enterprise, innovation and skills

Building a fairer society
Employment opportunity for all
High quality public services
Protecting the environment

Household income
Where taxpayers' money is spent
Further information
Visit HM Treasury Site

Employment opportunity for all

The Government’s long-term goal is employment opportunity for all. It aims to promote a dynamic and flexible labour market in which everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Since 1997, the New Deal has helped over 858,000 young people into jobs, and helped to provide greater employment opportunity for people who find it harder to obtain jobs, such as lone parents and people with a health condition or disability. Employment has risen by nearly 2.6 million in that time and unemployment has fallen to 5.5 per cent.

Introduced in April 2003, the Working Tax Credit helps to make work pay for people on low incomes and is currently helping 2.3 million working families. The adult rate of the National Minimum Wage will rise to £5.52 per hour from October 2007. The Government is now taking further steps to deliver higher employment across the country, by:

• continuing to provide support for lone parents who find work by extending the £40 per week In-Work Credit in the existing pilot areas until June 2008; and offering the credit at a higher rate of £60 across the whole of London;

• introducing local employment partnerships with large retail employers working with Jobcentre Plus at a local level to help the long-term unemployed and economically inactive back to work; and

• introducing a four-week run-on in entitlement to Working Tax Credits, reducing overpayments and easing the transition from tax credits to benefits.

Back to top