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Around 20,000 jobseekers have used the Department for Work and Pensions' new "Build a CV" tool since it launched three months ago, the department said on 25 September 2026. A further 16,000 people have tried the platform's AI powered Work Assistant, which offers personalised guidance on job applications, interview preparation and career planning.
Both tools sit within Work Hub, a digital employment support platform DWP launched as a pilot in June 2026. Described by the department as a "jobcentre in your pocket," it is designed to be accessible from a phone, tablet or computer at any time, and is open to anyone looking for work, not just DWP claimants.
At a glance
- Around 20,000 people have used the Work Hub's "Build a CV" tool since it launched in June 2026.
- About 16,000 people have used the platform's AI Work Assistant for personalised job search and interview guidance.
- Work Hub is open to everyone, not only people claiming DWP benefits, and does not replace jobcentre appointments.
- The tools sit alongside the government's £2.5 billion package aimed at creating almost one million work and training opportunities for young people.
- DWP says guardrails are in place to keep the AI Work Assistant's responses focused on employment support.
Work Hub brings together a set of free digital services intended to help people at different stages of looking for work. The CV builder turns a user's skills, experience and achievements into a CV formatted for online recruitment platforms and applicant tracking systems, which DWP says has become a common barrier for jobseekers whose CVs are not built with modern hiring software in mind.
The platform also includes tools to search and apply for jobs, prepare for interviews and identify relevant training. The AI Work Assistant, one of the newer additions, provides tailored guidance on career development and job searching, functioning as a conversational tool rather than a static resource library.
DWP has stressed that Work Hub is a universal service rather than a replacement for existing support. It sits alongside the department's network of Work Coaches, who continue to provide face to face guidance through jobcentres, and requirements for people in the Intensive Work Search group for Universal Credit remain unchanged regardless of whether they use the digital tools.
How Work Hub Fits Into the Fight Against Economic Inactivity
Minister for Innovation, Fraud and Data, Lilian Greenwood, said the figures showed how quickly jobseekers had taken to the new tools. "The world of work is changing, so the support we provide must change with it, and the Work Hub is innovation at its finest," she said. "In just a few months, around 20,000 people have already used our CV tools to showcase their skills and take important steps towards finding work."
The announcement positions Work Hub as part of a broader push by DWP to modernise its services and expand access to employment support in every part of the country. Ministers have linked the platform to wider efforts to tackle economic inactivity, including the government's £2.5 billion package intended to create almost one million work and training opportunities for young people.
How Work Hub is used in practice
- Work Coaches can bring the AI Work Assistant into jobcentre appointments to support conversations about career aspirations and skills.
- The CV Builder can be used by anyone, including people who are not registered with DWP or claiming benefits.
- Jobseekers can access the tools independently, without needing to book or attend an in person appointment first.
- The platform also gives employers a space to advertise vacancies and access recruitment advice.
How Work Coaches and Jobseekers Are Using Work Hub
DWP has pointed to individual cases to illustrate how the tools are being used on the ground. Lance, a Work Coach based in Bognor Regis who supports young people looking for work, said he had started using the AI Work Assistant during appointments to help structure conversations about career aspirations and transferable skills. He said the tool could help "generate ideas, explore career pathways, identify transferable skills, and support meaningful coaching conversations," particularly for young people who lack confidence.
The department also cited the case of a jobseeker named Hugh, who it said had struggled to get responses from employers because his CV was not suited to modern recruitment processes. After being introduced to the CV Builder by a DWP recruitment consultant, DWP said Hugh passed application sifts and was offered a job within a few weeks. "Before, I was struggling to get a response from the employer, let alone a job," Hugh said. "However, upon using the CV builder I saw the response I received increase significantly."
What Safeguards Are in Place for the AI Work Assistant?
DWP said "important guardrails" are in place to keep the AI Work Assistant's responses appropriate and focused on employment support, though the department has not published detailed technical specifications for how those safeguards operate. The tool is being continually developed based on user feedback and performance data since its pilot launch in June.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation gave a cautious welcome to the approach. Shazia Ejaz, the organisation's Director of Campaigns, said technology could help make hiring "faster and fairer" and create a job market accessible to the widest range of people, while stressing the importance of continuing to find ways to address labour and skills shortages. "Embracing technology within safeguards is the right approach to get more people into work and to grow the economy," she said.
Work Hub also provides employers with a dedicated space to advertise vacancies, access recruitment advice and connect with local labour markets, positioning the platform as a two sided tool rather than one aimed solely at jobseekers.
What Work Hub's Numbers Don't Yet Tell Us
The Work Hub numbers arrive as DWP continues to expand its digital offer alongside more traditional employment programmes, from youth guarantees to disability employment schemes. Unlike some of those initiatives, Work Hub does not carry its own funding announcement or target figures for job outcomes, and DWP has not published data on how many Work Hub users have gone on to secure employment beyond the individual cases it has highlighted.
That gap matters against the backdrop of a labour market that has been getting tighter for jobseekers. Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 2.5 unemployed people for every vacancy in the UK in the three months to July 2026, a ratio that has held steady since mid 2025 after rising from 2.3 a year earlier. That figure is a single UK wide average and does not capture how the balance between jobseekers and vacancies varies from one region or sector to another, so a tool like Work Hub could be landing very differently depending on where its users are searching for work.
What is measurable, for now, is usage, roughly 20,000 people combined have engaged with the CV builder and AI Work Assistant in the tool's first three months, figures DWP is likely to continue tracking as it develops the service further.
Key Takeaways
- Around 20,000 people have used DWP's Work Hub CV builder and 16,000 have used its AI Work Assistant since the June 2026 launch.
- Work Hub is a free digital platform open to all jobseekers, not just DWP claimants, and does not replace jobcentre appointments or Work Coaches.
- Universal Credit requirements for people in the Intensive Work Search group remain unchanged regardless of Work Hub use.
- DWP says guardrails are in place to keep the AI Work Assistant's responses focused on employment support.
- The department has not published data on how many Work Hub users have gone on to find jobs, beyond individual case studies.
Sources & Further Reading
- GOV.UK - Government's digital employment tools help thousands take the next step into work Archived copy (OGL): archived page
- ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK: September 2026 Archived copy (OGL): archived page