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Executive summary

A key objective for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is supporting individuals with health conditions into work where appropriate. This report provides an overview of customers’ employment aspirations, the barriers they face in accessing work, and the support they feel they need most. 

The report is based on a survey of 3,401 health and disability benefit customers, including those receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and those on the Universal Credit (UC) Health Journey. It also draws on 88 qualitative interviews and 9 focus groups with customers. The fieldwork was conducted from October to December 2024.  

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• 27% of customers felt they might be able to work in future but only if their health improved. Customers with mental health conditions were more likely to feel this way: 44% of customers whose main health condition was a mental health condition felt they might be able to work again if their health improved

• 5% of customers felt they could work right away if the right job or support was available. Customers whose main health condition was a cognitive or neurodevelopmental impairment - including memory and concentration problems alongside learning difficulties and disabilities, as well as autism - were around twice as likely to feel this way compared to other customers

• 49% of customers felt they would never be able to work or work again. 62% of these customers were over the age of 50, and 66% felt their health was likely to get worse in the future

• the findings indicate a link between take up of health and disability benefits and challenges in the healthcare system: two in five customers (41%) were on a waiting list for treatment for their health condition(s), and half (50%) who were out of work felt their ability to work was dependent on receiving treatment

• there is a potential opportunity in the rise of homeworking. A quarter (25%) of customers felt they couldn’t work, but when asked if they could work from home said they could. But customers were worried about the risk of social isolation and tended to see homeworking as a stepping stone to in-person work

• a key challenge is the complex relationship many customers have with DWP. Of those customers not in work who didn’t rule out work permanently, 60% were worried that DWP would make them look for unsuitable work, and 50% were worried they would not get their benefits back if they tried working 

• despite this, most customers (69%) were open to receiving contact from DWP about offers of support for employment, benefits or disability services. Customers wanted help to develop skills, including emotional, social and communication skills. They wanted help finding and applying for jobs, and help to stay in work, including engaging with employers to ensure their needs were met  

• but crucially, customers wanted help from DWP to be personal, with genuine attempts to understand their unique needs and circumstances. They wanted to feel supported rather than coerced, monitored or blamed. They wanted to see more joined-up services so that they didn’t need to explain their health conditions repeatedly to different staff and agencies