The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced it will scrap a major Universal Credit rule that mandated unemployed claimants to spend 35 hours per week looking for work.
Moving Away from a 'Rigid Focus'
This significant policy shift was confirmed on November 14, 2025. The Labour government stated it will end the 'rigid focus' on the 35-hour weekly job search requirement for out-of-work benefit claimants. The decision follows a critical report from the Work and Pensions Committee titled 'Get Britain Working: Reforming Jobcentres'.
The Committee's report strongly urged the government to abolish blanket benefit requirements, labelling the existing work search rules as 'too generic and sometimes counterproductive'.
A New Personalised System
In response, the DWP is now testing a more tailored approach through its Pathfinder scheme. This new system is designed to assess individual circumstances and, according to the government, will 'encourage claimants to take all reasonable steps to search and prepare for work'.
The government confirmed that the joint Jobs and Careers Service will represent a clear shift away from the 'any job' ethos that previously dominated the welfare-to-work strategy, giving claimants greater choice in their employment pathways.
Restoring Faith in the System
Debbie Abrahams, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, welcomed the move. She expressed satisfaction that the Government has a 'genuine desire to move away from the failed punitive welfare system of old'.
The end of an over-reliance on financial sanctions and a hyper-focus on compliance is expected to help restore faith among claimants. Abrahams emphasised that claimants want to be helped, not vilified to the point where their self-esteem is eroded.
She also noted that moving away from the discredited 'any job' approach should help improve relations with employers. While supportive of the Pathfinder pilots as a 'constructive step forward', the Committee has flagged concerns about cuts to the time allocated for initial meetings with claimants, stating that quality time is fundamental for the success of back-to-work schemes.
The Committee has stated it will closely scrutinise the results of the new Pathfinder scheme once they are known.
