Jobcentre on Wheels to be rolled out across Britain – this is where
Mobile Job Center tools will be launched across the UK as a way to “remove barriers to people finding good work”.
Announcing the expansion following a pilot, Work and Pensions Minister Pat McFadden said the Mobile Business Hub service was designed around “meeting people where they are”, including in unusual locations such as outdoor leisure centers and council parks.
The initiative forms part of the government’s wider push to reform employment support, aiming to deliver on a manifesto commitment amid concerns about the rising national unemployment rate.
“We want to break down the barriers that prevent people from getting a good job, and that means meeting people where they are,” Mr McFadden said.
“This is exactly what Mobile Job Centers do – bringing employment support to the heart of communities.
“So by building on the success we have seen before, we are able to expand the service and unlock opportunities for more people across the country.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has trialled Jobcentre on Wheels vans in the Scottish Highlands, North and Mid Wales and Greater Manchester.
More vehicles will join the fleet in six regions: Barrow-in-Furness, Blackpool, Wakefield, North Nottinghamshire, Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taf and North Somerset.
More than half of visitors to the Jobcentre on Wheels service were unable to access benefits, DWP data shows.
The Office for National Statistics estimates the unemployment rate among people aged 16 and over was 5.1 per cent between September and November last year, down from 4.4 per cent in the same period in 2024.
It comes as Tesco’s UK chief Ashwin Prasad warned last week that Britain was in danger of “sleepwalking towards an unemployment epidemic”.
Taking aim at government policies that increase hiring costs for employers, Mr Prasad said there had been a “clear, gradual shift” in people leaving the workforce over the past decade.
He added that “far fewer people are working than there could be” and called for significant change from the government in the way it handles the issue.
