Benefit durations, leavers and repeaters

There is considerable turnover in the JSA population with around 2.5 million claims made for JSA in the latest available year (HMT 2006). Between 1997/1998 and 2004/2005 the administrative data on terminations shows that the number of JSA claims that ended with someone recorded as entering work fell from over 1.1 million in 1997/1998, or 35% of known destinations , to 751,900 in 2004/2005, or 27% of known destinations (Hansard 31 January 2006, col. 440W). The number recorded as returning to work significantly underestimates the movement into employment but it appears that as the number of people claiming JSA dechned so too did the proportion who were leaving for a job. 

JSA benefit durations have fallen since 1998 (see Table 36). The total number of young people aged 18-24 claiming JSA for 6 months or more fell from nearly 109,000 in 1998 to 40,000 in 2004, and those who had claimed for over a year fell from 13,400 to 2,400. There has since been an increase and by 2006 58,400 had 

Source Coleman and Kennedy (2005) Destination of benefit leavers 2004, Department for Work and Pensions, Research Report No 244, Norwich, Her Majesty s Stationery Office, 

7 The fact that more young people were in receipt of JSA beyond a year has been caused by delivery problems, because just as the client group increased, provider capacity was disrupted during a protracted re-contracting process. There are also a limited number of exemptions allowed if local managers consider the claimant might be violent or disruptive if mandated to attend. 

All Up to 6 Over 6 Over Percentage All Up to 6 Over 6 Over Percentage months and up 12 over 12 months and up 12 over 12 

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