Job centres across the UK are facing mounting challenges as they strive to help disabled people into work, with staff saying opportunities are scarce and support is stretched thin. According to a recent BBC investigation, work coaches are struggling to find employers willing or able to accommodate disabled workers, particularly those with long-term health conditions who often require flexibility or additional support. This comes at a time when the government is pushing for major welfare reforms, aiming to boost employment among disabled people and reduce the rising cost of benefits.
The numbers paint a stark picture. As of August 2025, just over half—53%—of working-age disabled people in the UK are employed, compared to 82% of non-disabled people. This disability employment rate has stubbornly refused to budge since 2019, despite repeated promises of improvement. Meanwhile, the average monthly rate at which benefits claimants are finding work, known as the into-work rate, has dropped to 7.6% in the year leading up to April 2025. That’s a notable fall from nearly 10% in mid-2022 and remains below pre-pandemic levels, according to data obtained by the BBC from the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP).
Mark Byers, a work coach with 15 years of experience and a representative for the Public and Commercial Services Union, told the BBC that the lack of employers able to provide adequate workplace support for people with long-term health conditions is a major barrier. He described the current job centre environment as overwhelming, with workloads having increased dramatically over the years. "It feels like you are fighting with one arm behind your back," he said. "All appointments are 10 minutes, and once you've got through the security checks there is not much time. These short appointments mean you're just being a benefits policeman."
These time constraints are not just a matter of inconvenience—they have real consequences for the people seeking help. Saul Cahill, another work coach and union rep based in Gateshead, explained that people with health conditions and disabilities are often the hardest to support into employment. Delays in other services, such as the NHS, can make it even more difficult to find suitable job placements. "I might be sitting with someone who is, on paper, doing all the right things and doesn't seem to be getting any response," Cahill told the BBC. "I'd love to sit down with them [and] go through the job applications together, and that's not necessarily possible. People get very frustrated."
The pressure on job centre staff is compounded by a shrinking workforce. In August 2025, the DWP employed 16,640 work coaches—the lowest number since March of the previous year and a far cry from the pandemic peak of over 23,000 in 2021. Despite this, the department now projects it has more work coaches than necessary, thanks to cutbacks in claimant support, shorter initial meetings, and fewer follow-up appointments. The National Audit Office notes that job centre funding allows for an average caseload of around 100 claimants per coach, but this varies significantly by region. For example, coaches in Birmingham and Solihull handle an average of 115 claimants each, while those in South West Wales manage 79.
Meanwhile, the number of universal credit claimants with no requirement to work—including those deemed unable to work due to ill health—has soared from under 700,000 in January 2020 to more than 3.8 million by August 2025. Part of this increase is attributed to people migrating from older benefits like Employment and Support Allowance, but think tank analysis suggests there is also a genuine rise in people out of work due to ill health.
The government’s response has been to promise sweeping reforms. In September 2025, new Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said that changes to the welfare system "must happen" to help people into work and curb the ballooning cost of benefits. One measure involves redeploying 1,000 work coaches to provide more personalized and intensive support to sick and disabled people. The DWP says it is "reforming a broken system by shifting our focus from welfare to work, skills and opportunities—backed by £1bn a year for employment support by the end of the decade." A spokesperson added, "We are delivering the biggest reforms to job centres since the early 2000s to end the tick box culture, giving staff the flexibility to offer a more personalised service to jobseekers and help them into good, secure jobs."
But many disabled people and campaigners remain deeply skeptical. As reported by BirminghamLive, upcoming reforms in 2026 will see the extra payment for Universal Credit claimants unable to work halved, and a comprehensive review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is underway. A survey of nearly 4,000 disabled people found that 47% believe these welfare changes are motivated more by budget concerns than by a genuine desire to help disabled people find work. Campaigners highlight that disabled people are almost twice as likely to be unemployed and three times as likely to be economically inactive compared to non-disabled people.
The pay gap between disabled and non-disabled workers is another persistent issue. In 2023/2024, disabled employees earned an average of £13.68 per hour, compared to £16.03 for their non-disabled peers—a difference of £2.35 per hour, or 17.2%. Disability campaigner Amelia Peckham, CEO and co-founder of Cool Crutches and Walking Sticks, estimates this gap effectively erases 63 days of income every year for disabled workers. "We talk a lot about Equal Pay Day for women, but disabled people are facing the same injustice. Losing nearly two months of pay every year is devastating. When you combine this with barriers to accessing work, welfare cuts, and the stigma that still exists, it's no wonder so many disabled people feel the system is stacked against them," Peckham told BirminghamLive.
Personal stories like that of Grace True, a job seeker from Sheffield, drive home the reality behind the statistics. After being made redundant while pregnant and having her employer ignore occupational health recommendations, Grace found herself repeatedly overlooked for new roles. She eventually removed all evidence of her disability from her online CV. "Within 10 minutes of making that update, she received a call, leading to a new job within a week," BirminghamLive reports. Grace’s experience is far from unique. "Equality in employment is a f*****g myth. The law says companies can't discriminate against us, but there are loopholes everywhere. We're portrayed as unwilling to work, but the reality is that companies don't make themselves accessible or inclusive, and the Government is cutting away the little support we have. Disabled people literally cannot win."
The DWP insists it is investing £3.8 billion in employment support over the current parliament and reviewing the PIP assessment process to ensure it is "fit and fair for the future," with disabled people and advocacy groups involved in shaping the changes. "We're fixing the broken welfare system so it genuinely supports those who can work into employment, backed by £3.8 billion investment in employment support over this parliament, while ensuring there is always a safety net for the most vulnerable," a spokesperson said.
As the government presses ahead with its reforms, the gulf between policy ambition and lived experience remains wide. For many disabled people and those who support them, the real test will be whether these changes finally deliver the support and opportunities that have long been promised but all too often remain out of reach.
