The government's Work Programme has been described as a "miserable failure" after data showed that a small minority of the participants were able to find long term work.

The flagship government jobs scheme emerged as a failure after it was revealed that less than two per cent, who take part in Bath and North East Somerset, were able to find long term employment. The Department for Work and Pensions data showed that only 20 out of the total 1,380 people enrolled in the scheme since its launch in the previous year stayed in their employment.

The data estimates that the success rate was just 1.4 per cent compared to a government target of 5.5 per cent. The lawmakers said that the scheme is new and is succeeding in helping people getting people getting off state benefits and getting jobs.

On the other hand, Labour leader Ed Miliband said the Work Programme is becoming a "miserable failure". It is believed that the performance of the scheme was also poor in Wiltshire. On the overall national level, about 31,000 out of 900,000, were able to find sustainable jobs.