Tuesday 9 January 2018

The forgotten unemployed: 300,000 jobless Britons not claiming benefits

an article by Peter Walker, political correspondent published in the Guardian

Jobcentre Plus
The DWP said anyone who thinks they are entitled to out-of-work benefit should contact Jobcentre Plus. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

Study finds many people are not claiming support they are entitled to and warns some are put off by the benefits system

About 300,000 British people without jobs or on very low wages are not claiming benefits they are entitled to, according to a thinktank study urging the government to focus more attention on the issue.

The report from the Resolution Foundation says the “forgotten unemployed” are disproportionately likely to be older women or young men, who are missing out on at least £73 a week and potentially far more.

While many appear not to claim benefits because they have other means of support – for example living with a partner in work or with parents – the report warns that some people, particularly women, are put off by a benefits system viewed as complex and overly punitive.

The report, titled Falling Through the Cracks, urges the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to do more to examine the reasons why so many eligible people do not claim, arguing that the rollout of universal credit would be a good moment for this.

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