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30 July 2026

SWAP job outcomes hit lowest rate as starts surge

Record quarter for starts, but earnings for those who find work have not risen in real terms

Shane Chowen

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6 min read
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Fewer than 36 per cent of jobseekers who started a sector-based work academy programme (SWAP) last September were in work six months later, the worst result since the Department for Work and Pensions began publishing the figures.

SWAPs are short programmes for benefit claimants, running up to six weeks and made up of pre-employment training, a work placement and a job interview.

Jobcentre Plus staff arrange them locally with employers, and colleges and independent training providers deliver the training, funded from adult skills budgets.

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