Pilot ‘hyperlocal’ job support scheme in England shows promising signs of effectiveness

TL;DR

• 1

  JobsPlus is showing early signs it works — an independent Institute for Employment Studies evaluation said the government-funded “hyperlocal” pilot in 10 English neighbourhoods is producing “promising early signs of effectiveness” and could be scaled nationally.

• 2

  The model is intentionally neighborhood-scale and hands-on — backed by the DWP and Youth Futures Foundation, JobsPlus concentrates support in small social-housing areas where community champions, caseworkers, and local hubs help residents with job coaching, employer links, NHS referrals, interview clothes, and transport.

• 3

  It’s reaching people furthest from work, not just the easiest cases — the evaluation found JobsPlus is engaging residents with bigger barriers such as caring responsibilities and health conditions, in communities where social housing residents are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as the wider population.

• 4

  27% of 1,000-plus participants had a positive job outcome — between July 2024 and December 2025, more than a quarter of participants moved from unemployment into work or, in a smaller number of cases, into better jobs.

• 5

  The scheme may be especially relevant to the youth jobs crisis — 31% of people enrolled so far are aged 16-24 versus 12% of local residents in eligible areas, as the number of young people not in employment, education or training has risen above 1 million for the first time in a decade.