Benefits claimants are being invited to apply for jobs handing out Universal Credit as staff deal with an “unprecedented” number of claims.
And staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have been asked to refer friends and family for temporary roles as they work to process an “extraordinary” number of benefits applications.
Almost 950,000 claims for Universal Credit (UC) have been processed since March 16 as the effects of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown begins to bite.
The department has admitted that it is currently operating with “higher than normal” sickness rates as staff are sent home to self isolate either because of underlying health issues, because they are displaying symptoms of the virus, or for unrelated reasons.