Job centres and helplines are closed over parts of the festive period.

The UK’s 639 Jobcentre Plus offices, which provide resources to help people find employment, are also used for people to discuss a claim they’ve made or tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about a change in their circumstances.

The universal credit helpline (0800 328 5644), which can be used by benefit claimants whose payment has not been paid, has also had its opening hours confirmed.

When will job centres be open?

Universal credit helplines will be open from 8am to 6pm on 27 and 30 December, and 8am to 5pm on 31 December. They will be closed on New Year’s Day.

These are the opening hours for Jobcentre Plus branches.

England and Wales

Friday 27 December: closed.

Monday 30 December: open.

Tuesday 31 December: open.

Wednesday 1 January: closed.

Thursday 2 January: open.

Friday 3 January: open.

Scotland

Friday 27 December: open.

Monday 30 December: open.

Tuesday 31 December: open.

Wednesday 1 January: closed.

Thursday 2 January: closed.

Friday 3 January: open.

What changes are being made to job centres in 2025?

The new Labour government has made getting out-of-work people back into employment a key target for the Department of Work and Pensions.

In November, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said those who “can work, must work” as she set out an overhaul of the welfare system.

As part of plans to reduce the benefits bill for sickness and disability – which Labour says is set to rise by £26 billion in the next five years – Kendall announced that job centres will be replaced by a new National Jobs and Careers Service.

The new system is expected to have a greater focus on getting people into work and finding better-paid jobs, “not only on monitoring and managing benefit claims”.

In a speech, Kendall criticised the current service, saying: “Only one in five people who are looking for work say they use a Jobcentre, and… only one in six employers who need staff use them to recruit. This must change.”

The government said it wants the new system to be a “genuine public employment service” for the 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness.

The changes will come after April next year, with the government having allocated £55m to “kickstart” the reforms in the 2025/26 financial year.

The government also said it will “ensure that the new service works effectively with the devolved services” in Scotland and Wales.

Other measures announced in November to cut the benefits bill include extra mental health support; more NHS staff for the areas with the highest levels of joblessness;

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