Guaranteed jobs for young people on health benefits: the state will pay six months of wages
The Department for Work and Pensions announced on 27 September a major expansion of the Jobs Guarantee: from April 2027, young people on health benefits will be offered a guaranteed paid job 13 weeks after their Work Capability Assessment. Participation is voluntary, and the government will cover 100% of wages for up to 25 hours a week for six months. Here is who qualifies and what to do now.
The Jobs Guarantee launched earlier this year for 18 to 24-year-olds who have been claiming Universal Credit for more than 18 months. The government has now announced its biggest expansion yet: from April 2027, guaranteed jobs will also be offered to young people on health benefits — the group the labour market currently leaves furthest behind.
How will the guarantee work?
Under the scheme, an eligible young person on health benefits will be offered a fully funded job 13 weeks after their Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The government will cover 100% of wage costs for up to 25 hours a week for six months, and employers will get help with onboarding costs.
Your ad could be hereAdvertise hereThe key detail: participation is voluntary. Turning down the offer carries no benefit sanctions — the announcement makes this explicit, and it is what sets the scheme apart from the usual mandatory employment programmes.
What support comes with the job?
Beyond the job itself, participants will receive mentoring and tailored support in the three areas that most often keep people out of work: mental health, personal finances and housing. The logic is that six months of paid work delivers experience, references and confidence — things no benefit payment can provide.
Who will be eligible?
Exact criteria are promised closer to launch, but the frame is set: young people on health benefits who have been through a WCA. The scheme starts from April 2027 and is intended to help up to 90,000 young people into work by the end of this Parliament. The current version — for 18 to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit for over 18 months — is already running; if that is your situation, ask your work coach at the jobcentre now. We have covered how Universal Credit works and who can claim it separately.
Why is the government doing this?
The numbers behind the decision are in the announcement itself. The share of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) who report a disability or long-term condition has more than doubled in a decade: from 21.1% in 2013/14 to 45% now. The UK's disability employment gap remains persistently high, and the government calls the new measures part of a £3.5 billion package of employment reforms.
The expansion sits alongside the £2.5 billion Youth Guarantee programme over the next three years, which includes £3,000 payments for businesses that hire a young person who has been out of work for six months, and an expansion of youth apprenticeships. For the state of the job market and where the vacancies are, see our overview.
What is the 'right to try'?
The second part of the package is the previously announced 'right to try' guarantee: a person on sickness benefits will be able to take up work without the immediate fear of losing their benefits because of the attempt itself. For many, the fear of ending up with neither benefits nor a job is the main barrier — and the new scheme addresses it directly.
What should you do now?
April 2027 is eighteen months away, but you can prepare earlier. If you or your child is 18 to 24 and has been on Universal Credit for a long time, ask your work coach about the existing Jobs Guarantee. The free government service for building a CV and finding vacancies is covered in our piece on the new DWP Work Hub and CV builder. The details of the expanded scheme — criteria, how offers will be made, participating employers — are promised before launch; we will be watching.
