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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder what is stopping low skilled jobs being created.

93 replies

goneanddoneitnow · 21/02/2011 20:29

To make britain a better place.
The work is there.
Rubbish all over the streets.
Public buildings filthy
Not enough supervision at school.
Elderly needing help at home.
Not enough staff to help people eat and drink or reach the toilet in hospital.
Child minders for those working in other jobs.
And much more!
The people are there - all those on benefits.
The money is there - the benefit pay outs.
Many of these sorts of jobs would suit people with school age children.
Need only be part time and the workers should get top ups to give them a minimum wage and a bit more than benefit.
Would it not be fairer for more people to work 20 hours a week than some doing 40 and some none for the same income since minimum wage is about equal to benefits.

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:30

Top ups from where????

squeakytoy · 21/02/2011 20:31

Those jobs are there. People who are on benefits are often better off on those benefits than they would be taking a low paid job.

There are also plenty of people who wont take these jobs because they feel it is "beneath them".

So the jobs get filled by people who are willing to take the low paid jobs. And that is why we have so many eastern europeans quite willing to work hard over here.

GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:32

And once work is taken up the benefits stop so people need paying (and insuring, so can't be voluntary). Where will the money come from to pay these workers..... Whose budgets??

Original poster
goneanddoneitnow · 21/02/2011 20:34

ILoveTIFFANY, the goverment should top up peoples income to benefit level plus say £1 hour for every hour worked.

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:34

Work 20 hours a week and you're off benefits......... Volunteer 20 hours a a week and you are deemed as not actively looking for work......

GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:35

Top up to which benefit level........ ???? There are many different benefits, so top up to which one?

hardhatdonned · 21/02/2011 20:39

The money isn't there.

Public sector cuts, that everyone screamed and shouted for, result in dire public services. You really do get what you pay for.

expatinscotland · 21/02/2011 20:41

Yes, because we really want people who don't want to be there looking after vulnerable people like the elderly, children and the sick in hospital. They and their care are not worth more than the £65/week that is JSA.

Original poster
goneanddoneitnow · 21/02/2011 20:41

Simple, jobs are there and people should work whether they want to or not.
Not choose to stay on benefits and goverment should make sure you are better off working even if it is part time.

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:42

Would these people beable to get free childcare too??

GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:43

Which benefits do you mean op??

Original poster
goneanddoneitnow · 21/02/2011 20:43

But the money is there but is being spent on benefits.
When someone loses a minimum wage job they claim a similar amount.

OP posts:
MogadoredMemoo · 21/02/2011 20:44

How insulting to people who already do those jobs to call them low skilled!

curlymama · 21/02/2011 20:45

Nice idea, but empoying people does cost a lot more than giving them benefits. The government would have to pay them, insure them, give them pension schemes, and then they would still need top ups to have a reasonable standard of living.

In principle, I agree with you.

expatinscotland · 21/02/2011 20:46

'Simple, jobs are there and people should work whether they want to or not.'

Simple: children, the elderly and the sick are worth more than forcing people with possible criminal backgrounds on £65/week to care for them.

They're worth more of an investment.

This country is worth more than to throw away the lessons of the Industrial Age people paid for with their lives.

This country is worth more than idiots stupid enough to fall for the tired old divide and conquer stategy that is the best this lot of inherited wealth, multimillionnaire Etonians can come up with despite having every educationation advantage in life.

usualsuspect · 21/02/2011 20:46

Most of those jobs are done by agency workers on zero hour contracts already

hardhatdonned · 21/02/2011 20:47

Sadly though the cuts are happening and it's these staff who are being cut in huge volumes NOT the management who are making the decisions on who should be cut and who would save bucket loads of money. To replace valued workers with volunteers is disgraceful.

To replace them with "work for your benefits" im not sure is worse or the same but either way i don't like it!

GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:48

Op......again!! WHICH benefit are you talking about?? Who will pay to train these people??

Saltatrix · 21/02/2011 20:51

These are jobs the government normally hires people for at the moment the government is in dire straits regarding money unless of course those areas were privatised but then that would mean you would have to pay for that service.

Employing people costs more than paying people on benefits. However I hope that something can be done.

expatinscotland · 21/02/2011 20:53

Let's fill our schools, hospitals and nurseries with people on £65/week who are not qualified to be there, don't want to be there or are even criminals! Yeah! That's all the future generation, the elderly and the sick are worth!

Then we'll all wonder where we went wrong when that generation grows up even more hateful and fucked up, lining us up against a wall.

'Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.'

GypsyMoth · 21/02/2011 20:55

Costs to crb check everyone too

FabbyChic · 21/02/2011 20:56

YOu go on about people on benefits, I have recently started to look for work, I am still sick, but I am more sicker of being at home day in day out.

The job I do is highly skilled and 2 years ago paid in excess of £25 an hour, it now pays £10 an hour. They call it a recession.

I have applied for 6 jobs in four days, there are only six of the positions I can do avaialable.

There is no work.

The job paper had two pages of jobs whereas there used to be six pages.

Tell me where a job is that is skilled like mine and I take it at a reasonable wage, people still have to live. I have to earn minimum £12 an hour to match what I get on benefits because I live in rented accomodation. Yet I can only find jobs paying less than that.

Work it out, I be worse off working, but for my health I want to.

Portofino · 21/02/2011 20:56

I read this book and it completely changed my ideas about many things.

expatinscotland · 21/02/2011 20:58

Very good American version of that as well, Porto, called 'Nickled and Dimed'.

Bonsoir · 21/02/2011 21:00

A lot of the jobs described in the OP need a lot more than "a pair of hands", which is what you get if you take a random person with random qualifications drawing benefits.