Ministers report that groups of officials are considering how technology might reshape the benefits landscape, while frontline staff are also tailoring coaching delivery to account for jobs lost to automation
A variety of “teams across DWP” are working to better understand the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the jobs market and the welfare system, according to ministers.
According to Lilian Greenwood, a junior minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, a range of units “working in policy, operational and digital, are considering how AI could impact the social security and welfare system to ensure the department continues to deliver effectively for citizens in the future”.
Her comments were echoed by one of her ministerial colleagues, Andrew Western – whose brief for the past two years has focused on transformation.
Western suggested that the DWP wishes to both understand the likely ramifications for AI on jobs, as well as accordingly adjust the support offered to jobseekers.
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“The government is actively monitoring the impact AI may cause in the labour market, including job creation and displacement,” he said. “Where workers are displaced, as you would expect, they will benefit from support from work coaches to find reemployment. DWP is committed to ensuring that work coaches are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to provide tailored support to customers navigating a changing labour market. All work coaches undertake a comprehensive learning programme, including induction, consolidation and continuous professional development throughout their careers.”
As technology progresses and begins to affect employment, the training offering for work coaches “is regularly updated to reflect changing customer needs and developments in the labour market, including the increasing use of AI”.
Western added: “This supports work coaches to have informed conversations with customers about emerging employment opportunities, changes in skills demand, and the support available to help people move into or progress in work.”
For jobseekers facing a new environment, Western cited a £187m investment being made by government in AI and tech training initiatives, including a programme through which all adults in the UK are offered free AI education. The aim is for 10 million citizens to undertake this training by the end of this decade and, according to the DWP transformation minister, “this is in conjunction with a range of wider reskilling opportunities, such as the sector-based work academy programme which provides opportunities to those who are looking to change career or sectors through providing placements for pre-employment training, a work experience placement and a guaranteed interview for a real job”. Western added: “AI has potentially transformative benefits for the economy and wider society, and the government is doing all it can to ensure that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of this technological transition.”