Their actions while in work will determine how adequate their income will be in retirement. The best we can do for people of working age is to give them the opportunity to work. This is our first objective for welfare reform. Equally, there are also very strong non-wage motivations for working which in total reflect and influence the shape of society. Work enables people to be in the mainstream of society, to make their own contribution, to develop their potential, and to offer a positive role model for their children.
Work also provides access to social networks, and access to new opportunities for advancement.
It could be argued that making work the best form of welfare has always been an objective of social policy. But the facts show that the current social security system fails actively to promote a return to work. The fact is that an indifference to social policy, and an assumption that unemployment is a price worth paying for economic success, have meant that millions of people have been set aside from the labour market and condemned to a life of dependency. Our objective is to root out worklessness, and to give all people of working age a chance of economic opportunity. That is why our New Deal programme extends beyond the unemployed.