More than 68,000 residents are on out-of-work benefits, including 22,500 people classed as economically inactive because of long-term sickness, shaping the plan’s focus on removing barriers to work.
More than 60 representatives from the NHS, Jobcentre Plus, councils, skills bodies and businesses joined the rollout, which will be delivered with the integrated care board and Jobcentre Plus.
Workshops highlighted sharp local disparities, with Fenland and Peterborough facing higher inactivity than Greater Cambridge, as the strategy moves into a phased rollout tied to local growth and skills plans.
This strategy bets on devolved power, but does the region truly have the funding to fix deep-rooted employment barriers?
As a new plan targets 90,000 residents, will it create quality careers or just feed the gig economy?
With long-term sickness fueling unemployment, can a jobs plan solve what is fundamentally a regional health crisis?