The chief executive of Jobcentre Plus has quashed claims that job centres have been sacking their temporary staff one week before they qualify for job security so they can avoid having to give them any employment rights.

A news story in The Guardian claimed that the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson, had admitted that job centres were using the practice to get round the issue of employment rights.

In a letter to a Labour MP, Anderson confirmed that more than 400 jobs had been axed, but added that payroll information did not distinguish between contracts which had run their course or those which were terminated early.

“Temporary staff are only recruited to meet a short-term need,” Anderson said. “Jobcentre Plus informs temporary staff of the length of time they are likely to work for us by specifying the duration of their temporary contracts. This situation is then kept under review in relation to any changing business needs,” he added.

Last year, Jobcentre Plus axed 5,269 temporary jobs – 433 just before they qualified to receive employment rights. Some 3,300 were women and 481 were from ethnic minorities.

A spokeswoman for Jobcentre Plus confirmed that temporary staff were employed on a contractual basis for a maximum of 51 weeks to cover busy periods. Yet only 8% of staff usually reached the 51-week stage, with many contracts terminated before that, she said.