It is one hundred years since Winston Churchill established Labour Exchanges and described them as “Offices of hope.” Those first Labour Exchanges had a designated door for children! Three quarters of those who signed on were not successful in finding work.

How different are their successors, today’s Jobcentre Plus offices. Combining the old Benefits Agency function and much more, the screens which protected staff in years gone by are no longer necessary. More is expected of claimants than in the past – and more is expected of the staff, too.

In recent years the pressure on Jobcentre staff has been high. The continuous fall in jobless numbers for several years until the recession was achieved partly through more efficient working and more appropriate matching of jobseekers with new opportunities. Although only about half of all vacancies are advertised through Jobcentres, the quality of the work they do has changed and improved beyond measure.

This week, as the new Young Person’s Guarantee becomes reality, we raise both our hope and our expectations that Jobcentres will rise to the occasion. The Guarantee is that every person between 18 and 24 who has been unemployed for sixth months will be given work, training or work experience, arranged and financed through the Jobcentre. 65 such people are registered at the Buxton office and 120 in Glossop, with more reaching the six month trigger in February. Such schemes exist to prevent a generation of disillusioned youngsters feeling rejected and alienated, as happened in previous recessions.

Under the Flexible New Deal, Remploy and A4e are working in High Peak to find or create proper work for anyone who has been unemployed for six months or more – another successful initiative.

Unemployment appears to have peaked at a lower level than many predicted in the recession and is now falling. For this Government, unemployment is never ‘a price worth paying.’