The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has sanctioned 602,000 benefits claimants between November 2023 and October 2024, according to official data.
The penalties, primarily for failing to attend obligatory Jobcentre appointments, mark a significant shift in the government’s approach to welfare compliance.
The figures come as the Labour government tightens benefit rules, with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall vowing to tackle welfare dependency.
While sanction rates have slightly declined from previous peaks, the enforcement measures remain a critical part of the government’s wider welfare reforms.
Over Half a Million Claimants Penalised for Missing Jobcentre Appointments
According to DWP data, a total of 602,000 benefit claimants faced sanctions between November 2023 and October 2024. More than 500,000 of these penalties were issued for failing to attend a mandatory interview with a Jobcentre work coach, leading to payment reductions, suspensions, or complete withdrawal of financial support
In addition, 24,870 people were sanctioned for declining to take up employment, while 15,340 claimants had their benefits reduced for not attending required employment programmes. Around 8,400 individuals were penalised for failing to provide a valid reason for leaving a job.
Sanctions for claimants on Universal Credit—the UK’s primary unemployment benefit—reached their highest level in October 2024, with 61,527 people seeing their payments affected.
However, more recent data from November 2024 indicates a drop, with 117,000 claimants sanctioned out of 2.1 million, down from 137,000 the previous year. This represents a sanction rate of 5.5%, a decrease from 7.5% in 2023.
Government Insists Sanctions Are Necessary Amid Welfare Concerns
The Labour government has defended the measures, arguing that benefit conditions must be enforced to ensure the welfare system remains fair. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has been vocal about tackling what she describes as unjustified welfare reliance, stating that some claimants are “taking the mickey”.
Policy analysts and government officials cite the increasing number of claimants as a concern. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) warned that the UK is facing a “worklessness crisis”, urging stricter enforcement of welfare rules.
Trushar Pandya of the CSJ argued that sanctions are “essential to give taxpayers confidence” that the welfare system remains sustainable.
While the overall use of sanctions has declined, the number of individuals receiving Universal Credit while seeking work has grown by over 200,000 since autumn 2023, according to government figures. The latest figures suggest a continued push to encourage job-seeking and reduce long-term benefit dependency.
So how many are attending the job centre, actively seeking work and work and ready for employment? Yet the job centre and government still can’t get them into employment.
Leave the suck people alone. It’s not the system that’s broke its the government.
You can’t get people jobs that want them stop abusing those claiming sickness benefits and claiming people are lazy it’s the getting into work process or lack of jobs where people live. If someone wants a job give it them. If there are jobs so easily accessible and readily available, then are there so many people trying to gain employment, but struggle to gain employment. What is the point in a job centre? They dont gain peopke employment. Theyre run wrong. Its the givernment making a business scroungers absolute fraudsters trying to blame everybody else. The only problem is the government. People want work now bring the jobs to them. Stop trying to stop people claiming the disability to make figures appear like you are increasing employment. When in fact you are just revoking vulnerable people’s support. Liz is a wrong un. Financialy abusing the vulnerable is not okay.
Your priority should be why are these people that can work and want to work, not in work. The real problem is right there. It’s the way your job centre works. Get it sorted stop financially abusing the vulnerable.
Triple that number if you count the people who had sanctions wrongfully enforced, only to win on appeal. I had 14 overturned—14 times the DWP wasted taxpayer money just to penalize me for no reason. This isn’t about fairness; it’s about punishing the vulnerable to prop up bogus employment stats. The real fraudsters sit in government. We need DOGE!