To ask if there is actually a job for every unemployed person on Income Support/ JSA?

[CardyMow]

Because I don't think there is, and surely if there isn't a job for everyone, then we need to ensure that everyone can eat, and live a decent life, even if they CAN'T get a job. I'm sure if you looked at the amount of jobs in Britain, and compared it to the total population of Britain, there would be a disparity between the two figures.

And I personally KNOW that there isn't enough unskilled jobs around now, for the people that CAN'T get any further qualifications.

Has anyone, anywhere, thought about the fact that extending the retirement age means five extra working years that could be offered to someone younger? Furthermore, that if fewer school leavers go on to university, that's another three or four working years they could have been pleasantly occupied out of the job market? OK, I dropped out of an economics course because I couldn't get my head round it, so maybe someone who understands this stuff can explain it, but surely if someone comes off jobseekers allowance/housing benefits and starts paying taxes, the net benefit to the exchequer more or less makes up for what it would cost to keep one over-65 on a pension or one under-25 in further education? Or is that completely unrealistic?

Perhaps I'm just huffy because I'm still well short of retirement and would quite like a chance to do that job that I assume some 65-year-old would quite like not to have to do any more...

That could have been offered to someone younger, I meant. It makes sense to me that people should retire earlier when there's massive unemployment, not later.

I agree with that Annie. It's madness.

I have felt judged for not working lately. So that last four or five times somebody has asked me 'are you working?' as opposed to claim one parent family allowance that's coming out of my taxes I say "no, are there any jobs at your place? give me your email address. my cv is ready to go! I can do a covering letter right now. what's the name of the hr manager at your place?'

It tends to stop people judging you for being on benefits for a few minutes anyway.

Annie - the trouble is that if the 65yo doesn't work they cost money in pensions which you have to pay for in your taxes, which mean more families need two parents working which means fewer jobs to go around. It sort of works out just as bad either way.

There simply aren't enough jobs full stop. But that's hardly surprising given the state of the world's economy, and the global disparity of wealth. There are no long term answers I'm afraid.

Loudlass, I would second (third? fourth!) getting a bus pass. I have one from the county - it's free and you can travel anywhere from 9:30 onwards. Understandably the government are reticent to tell people this though Get in touch with Epilepsy Action and the CAB to find out if there are any other things you are entitled to. They might be little sundries, but the savings all add up.

I really do sympathise with you. I'm in a similar position health-wise (uncontrolled epilepsy meaning I'm pretty much unemployable), and there is naff all support around. If you ever need an ear, just send me a PM.

Very good response, Band, I like your style! (And send you very good wishes for finding work.)

Of course there aren't enough jobs for the unemployed in the middle of a recession - that's what a recession means. But that won't stop those who just enjoy blaming other people for their misfortunes.

I always think it's weird that some people choose to be jealous of the poor. Surely if you are going to be envious it would make more sense to be jealous of the rich? Especially since it was the rich that caused this recession and threw lots of ordinary, blameless people out of work (not all the rich, obviously, but it certainly wasn't the poor).

As for the elderly still working, unfortunately thanks to pension funds being screwed over the past two decades, many of them can't afford to retire. All those companies that took 'pension holidays' (i.e. stopped paying into their schemes), previous Chancellors who encouraged them, actuaries would couldn't do their sums and claimed schemes were overfunded... have fucked millions of people.

thanks

ps, I have come to realise that some people need there to be a clearly defined rung (socially) beneath them. If they can't see that the people beneath them (as they perceive it) are suffering, there is in their eyes something wrong with the World. NOT ALL people are like that obviously. I paid taxes for thirteen years and tbh I never gave much thought to wear they went.

782 applicants for my job..... and it is a 2 year fixed contract.

Tott, yes, if your 65yo isn't working they need a pension. But if an under-65 isn't working they need benefits, which may be cheaper but not a whole lot cheaper than a pension (? this is where I need expert input), plus being more complicated to administer. OK, it means DWP have to employ more people in Jobcentres, every cloud has a silver lining eh!

Fair point about the pension schemes, edam. Call me a socialist if you must (I've been called worse), but I don't believe in contracting-out pensions. Top-ups yes, as lavish as you like, with or without tax breaks, but everyone with any income at all should put their two ha'p'orth into a decent state pension without the option. (Again, probably missing something here.) But we are where we are now, not where I believe we should have been.

Recession, yeah, as you say. If it were not one, there would be scope for starting new businesses = creating jobs, as your potential customers would have money to spend on your new niche product/service.

'So in return for jsa there is plenty of unskilled work we could ask people to do. Cleaning and tidying outdoor public spaces, picking litter from verges, gardening jobs for old folk, domestic work etc. I think able bodied folk on Jsa benefits should be required to work, at least part time.'

These are already jobs that people get paid the national minimum-wage to do, as well they should! And you have to pass vetting checks to work with certain categories of people (quite rightly).

Domestic work is the livelihood of several thriving companies here in our relatively rural area. Force people on benefits to do it for £65/week rather than the minimum wage (or more) and you threaten businesses like these, which employ people.

I remember reading that there are 6 unemployed people for every available job. I think we have to accept that there will always be some people who are on benefits.

We either decrease the population or create more jobs.

Don't know whether there are enough jobs for everyone, but dh's experience has been that there are still quite a few out there. He was made redundant last year and was offered 4 different jobs before he even left the first one. His whole company closed down and everyone's managed to find work now (less than a year later) I believe.

I'm advertising two jobs on my team at the moment. My HR assistant got three responses the second the ad went up online, and so far we've had more than 200 in only a week.

Daisy - Believe me, it's not like that for everyone. Before my seizures became daily I was looking for work, an the one rejection which wasn't a bog standard "sorry, no interview" told me that there had been over 100 applications. That was a while ago. I dread to think what it's like now, as I know it's gotten worse.

It is particularly hard for people with any health problems, or those who have children and need flexible or part time hours. They are the least desireable employees, in a time where employers can afford to be picky, and they get dumped at the bottom of the pile.

When I was applying for jobs before, most had a health questionnaire with the application. I had to declare my epilepsy on them (the law has now changed, fortunately). It was quite telling that when I did get an interview (and then a job, briefly) it was with a company that didn't do a health questionnaire until after I had been offered the position. As it happened, then my epilepsy flared up again, I lost my job, and hasn't settled down enough for me to be employable since. The prospect of looking for work after a two year gap (minimum) is really frightening me, especially when the inevitable "why did you leave your last job" question comes up.

No, I'm quite sure that it's not like that for everyone, but I don't think if a group of 50+ people can all find jobs within a few months that it's necessarily as dire as some think. And this is in an industry which is generally shrinking.

Considering how competitive the job market is though, you'd have thought some people would make more of an effort to make their applications look as good as possible - DH has recruited several times recently and a large percentage of the applications contained spelling and grammatical errors, inconsistencies, full of irrelevant waffle. And these were for professional positions from people who you would have thought would know better.

There are not enough jobs!

I went back to uni as a mature student, graduated two years ago. Initially I applied for jobs I would like, then jobs I thought I was qualified for and finally any job. Including the kind of job I had done previous but by then my experiance was out of date. I had my CV checked by Starting point who offer careers advice in case there was something glaringly obvious that I wasn't noticing.

DH was laid off at the same time from a supervisory role, he was out of work for four months and now he stacks shelves. re: polish, we live in an industrial area with lots of factories despite twenty years of experience he couldn't get an interview and he was told "don't bother if you're not Polish" FACT. Not that I blame polish people for this, if i lived there I would be sending dh here as well. I do disagree though that they can claim cb and wftc for their families who are not residents in this country (if that is true).

I finally got a job eight months ago, on just above the min wage doing care work for an agency I am lucky is I get two 12 hr shifts a week. I am self employed so not entitled to hol pay, sick pay etc.

Benefits only pay for those who know how to wangle it, I do see people who are have been on benefits all their lives with new cars, hol every year etc but those people are not the norm. The four months DH was out of work were soul destroying, because he had changed jobs and had only been with them for ten weeks the insurance for the mortgage and loan had a clause in the small print, we have been playing catch up since and very nearly lost our house.

It's not an excuse to say there are not enough jobs to go around. It is a fact. Where i would agree is that if you don't try to get a job then you never will. Again, because that is simply a fact. That said it can be an immensely depressing experience with companies not even having the decency to respond to applications. A practice that applies to those with excellent qualifications just as much as to those without any. Given the increase in on-line processes it's not as if it can be because of the cost a stamp. Perhaps their parents are to blame.

A mother-of-ten who nets more than £30,000-a-year in benefits has begged for charity donations to help raise her brood - because her state 'wage' is not enough.

Miss Pearce, 34, has insisted her weekly government handout of £600 is insufficient to feed and clothe her children and she needs donations to survive.

The single mum - whose kids are fathered by four ex-partners - has insisted her range of child and family allowance benefits do not meet her weekly outgoings.

JUst because their is not enough jobs around dose not mean you think fuck it I will have 10 kids.
A lot of these people have been jobless for years long before their was a down turn and its now the covient exuse for them if you can't get paid work their is no exude for not doing voluntary work which will only enhance your cv for when you do find work

And quite frankley if we were a lot tougher with these people who think the world owes them somthing and the tax payer should fund their loose lifestyle we would not have had riots

Loudlass

I'm not sure which part of the country you're in, although for some reason I keep thinking you're in NE England. :-/ If that's true, I'm sure you can't be in Tyne and Wear otherwise bus fares for the kids would only be max £1 a day.

However, regarding your maths and English qualifications. Does your local college or council do anything like Test the City, which is based in Sunderland? It's a programme to get a numeracy and literacy qualification. Check out the site - www.citysun.ac.uk/adults/test-the-city/ - and as you'll see you can get the equivalent of a GCSE in maths and English. If you ring them you might be able to find something similar in your area, or you might be able to do the course by distance learning and only have to attend the centre for the actual tests.

Gillg57 I am sure it can be depressing to be out of work but these people manage to have sex at every turn to have all these bloody kids so don't really seem that down

It always makes be laugh when people reckon tier to I'll to stack a shelf but they managed to have sex and give birth and raise 5 or 6 kids

Yes, because all unemployed people are single mothers with 5+ children.

I am sure it can be depressing to be out of work but these people manage to have sex at every turn to have all these bloody kids so don't really seem that down
Words fail me.

one person who has ten children is hardly typical, though, is she?

Maypole 1 - Tell your position to the 50 year old middle class man who has masses of experience and qualifications, brought up his family without any state assistance and lost his job through no fault of his own. Shame on you for taking such a narrow view of such a serious issue.