To think it is not that easy to 'get a better job'

Also yes some min wage jobs are low pressure. Some people stay in them because they actually like working in them. If you love your job then you are winning at life as far as I am concerned. How sad to feel you have to leave to afford to make ends meet.
I admit that can be a privilege though. I used to attend a mental health group that was craft focused. The facilitator was amazing and she loved her job which was good for us service users. The job was not full time though and was min wage. She had to leave as the job centre said she had to increase her hours and pay otherwise she would not get her top ups. She had kids. So she left us and ended up working in a care home which she hated.

Spot on.

I am also sure the postman who delivers your post would love to be told to 'upskill' when you next see him.

Who would do these roles if everyone 'upskilled?'

Those jobs are vital and the pay from them should be enough to live on.
The cost of living crisis and housing costs have meant they no longer are.
I am not sure what the solution is but telling people to upskill etc is not a solution because we need people in those jobs. The people in those jobs should be able to afford to have a life and not just survive.

The point I am also making is that many jobs which are vital to communities pay minimum wage or not much above.
To tell a carer (for example) to 'upskill' in their job is quite frankly insulting.

Comments about upskilling and seeking promotion were in response to the idea that it’s impossible to improve your financial situation if you’re struggling.

Who would work being a delivery driver for supermarkets post your letters, work in pharmacies (some of their roles are minimum wage) care for your children?... If everyone had a 'better paid job'

These jobs which are vital to communities are all minimum wage or just above.

It isn't necessarily about low pay jobs but life needs to be made more affordable and jobs easier to get into along with a raise in personal allowance which has been frozen for few years now and to keep raising minimum wage is closing the gap anyway between low and high earners.
We need more affordable childcare housing food etc etc

If I had a friend who was a GP receptionist on NMW then yes, I would absolutely tell them to quit their job if it were stressful. Because to me that is ludicrous, and utterly shameful on behalf of their employer. He/she should either seek a much easier job for the same money, or find a job that uses their skill set but which pays more than NMW.

It's housing costs that are the issue

Would you tell your GP receptionist to up skill and get a better paid job?
Would you tell that to the carer who supports a loved one in a care home to get a better paid job?
These jobs are very skilled and not everyone can do them.

If everyone got 'better paid jobs' who would do the roles which sadly do not pay well?

The fact that even stressful jobs pay NMW in the UK is an absolute travesty, I would not disagree with that one bit. It’s amazing to me that people stay in these jobs instead of sticking it to their piss-taking employer and getting a low pressure job for the same money.

I didn’t say that all NMW jobs are stress-free? However jobs with low pressure are very likely to be NMW. In those roles, any opportunity to upskill and take on more responsibility must pay more than NMW or no one in that organisation would take the role. Staff then have a choice (health-related exceptions aside) whether to upskill and seek higher pay or stay put in the lower stress role.

And so many other factors at play as to why people may be stuck in minimum wage jobs

This

I've just googled GP receptionist jobs. Minimum wage. Care assistants. Minimum wage.

People who work in those jobs are highly skilled in their areas, and their work is definitely stressful. To say that minimum wage jobs are 'stress free' you're delusional.

Not easy to even get minimum wage jobs and it's quite shocking how some jobs are barely above minimum wage or on it when you would think they deserve so much more for the importance of them.

Care assistants, supermarket workers, GP receptionists are all 'stressful roles' which sadly pay minimum wage or just above.

The world would not function without them.

See my post above. Those are medical / psychological conditions that should be supported through the benefits system. If you’re dealing with the aftermath of child sexual abuse you are deserving of support by the state. I don’t think anybody would argue with that.

In cases where there is no such condition, then I’m afraid it is a choice to pick work with minimal pressure and not upskill, and therefore stay on low pay. People either need to own that choice or stop looking for others to blame.

Okay, I see what you mean now. I think in this case we’re talking about a medical condition and that person should be supported through the benefit system, as they physically can’t improve their financial situation. And if they’re not supported, then that’s a failure of our benefits system. Very different from someone choosing a job with minimal stress as they prefer not to deal with any pressure at work.

And we’re in agreement on stagnant wages - an absolute travesty.

Its very odd to paint being unable to cope with stress as a choice. Some people might dislike stress and prefer to have less, but thats not the same as unable to cope.

People might have all sorts of reasons for not coping with stress, from having autism, to being sexually abused as a child so thier stress hormones are high, to having other competing stresses in thier home life such as sen children tipping the balance.

I dont like stress but I dont have something thats caused previous burnout meaning I can't function under stress. Im very lucky.

For some people it is not a case of wanting to keep stress to a minimum. They must keep stress to a minimum or face dire consequences in their health and maybe other areas of their lives. It is not a choice at all.

Low pay full time jobs used to be enough to live on and now it is not. So those people unable to "do better jobs" are left with the very basics in life to live on and expected to be happy for it and not allowed to complain even though it is not their choice.

YANBU
I've been really trying to get another job, currently work part time nightshifts in a supermarket. I'm not at all suited to the work and all my previous roles were office based admin. My work history is a bit patchy; 4 autistic DC and I'm really restricted on hours as the younger 2 don't attend a school (1 has EOTIS via EHCP the other EHE).
I have done a couple of online courses to update packages etc. I have never been good at course work and studying; there's no way I could complete a degree. I failed GCSE maths twice, tried again as an adult but dropped out as it's just beyond me.

I really am doing my best and it's soul-destroying.

Have a look at some of the comments. Some see it as just excuses.

That’s still unwilling, whatever the reason. I actually support people in work not having much ambition and wanting to keep stress to a minimum - it’s a perfectly valid choice. I just think they should own that choice and accept the consequences, which are invariably fewer promotions and lower pay.