Around 100,000 disabled people and those with long term health conditions have received support through a UK Government employment programme designed to help people move closer to the workplace.
The Government says the milestone has been reached through its voluntary Pathways to Work scheme, although it has not published how many participants have gone on to secure employment.
The programme, launched in 2025, provides personalised support through specialist advisers based in Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales.
The advisers work with people assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity, helping identify barriers to employment, offering skills training and directing participants towards opportunities in sectors including construction, hospitality and manufacturing.
According to the Government, around 2.7 million people receiving Universal Credit are currently assessed as being too unwell to work, including more than 170,000 people aged between 16 and 24.
The programme forms part of a wider £3.5 billion investment in employment support for disabled people and those living with long term health conditions.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said:
“Supporting someone instead of writing them off is life changing, and I’ve seen firsthand how our Pathways to Work advisers are building people’s confidence and helping them achieve their ambitions.
“The welfare system we inherited left too many people without the skills, support or hope they needed to get on in life and build a career.
“We were determined to change that, and we have.
“Now 100,000 people living with long term conditions, disabilities and personal challenges who want to work, have taken crucial steps towards that.”
The Government says previous analysis suggests participants are 40 per cent more likely to be in work after two years than people who do not take part in the programme.
Alongside Pathways to Work, ministers have announced a series of wider welfare reforms, including a Right to Try Work Guarantee, increased investment in employment support, more face to face health assessments and measures aimed at reducing fraud and error within the benefits system.
The Government has also launched a £60 million Pathways to Work Innovation Fund, inviting charities, businesses and other organisations to develop new ideas to help more people move into employment.
The latest figures provide the clearest indication yet of the scale of the programme, although longer term success is likely to be judged not by how many people receive support, but by how many ultimately find and remain in sustainable work.
