Biometric recognition installed at the Jobcentre

The Department for Work and Pensions has rolled out biometric and signature recognition pads at the Job Centre to help job seekers find employment.

The new digital initiative will help those looking for a job apply for new roles online, while also allowing them to sign for their benefits - something that used to be carried out using pen and paper.

Minister for Employment Esther McVey announced the new initiative that will see 700 Job Centre points around the country getting the new tech installed, alongside the installation of 6,000 new PC workstations that will enable jobseekers to find a job more efficiently.

It's estimated to save the Department for Work and Pensions 2 million a year.

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McVey said: "Every day, job centres across the country are helping people into work, contributing to record falls in unemployment. But as the economy grows and the jobs market changes, so are job centres.

"Long gone are the Full Monty days of job cards in the windows and queuing for your dole. We're seeing record employment levels and with this digital revolution, the government is doing even more to help people into work."

The technology that has been tested at the Job Centre in London Bridge operates on the same network as all government computers and will implement the same security protocols to prevent hacking and viruses.

Baljeet Mahal, The Job Centre London Bridge's branch customer services manager, said: "We've moved away from customers coming in and standing in a queue waiting to be directed. We don't have podiums, we don't have public-access phones.

"If you look back to Job Centre Plus from years ago, we had boards with paper cards with vacancies on them - we don't have those anymore."

Although the Job Centre staff won't be monitoring what each applicant is doing online, they will be able to intervene if they notice job seekers using the computers for activities not related to employment.