to think benefits should be capped at minimum wage

[moogster1a]

A little idea that all benefits should be capped at a weeks worth of minimum wage; so 37 and half hours times whatever minimum wage is now ( £6 pounds odd ).
That way no one gets paid more for sitting at home than they would for going out to work.
Out of this, all rent prescriptions etc. should be paid, the same as most people in low paid jobs have to pay for everything.
it might also provide an incentive to go out to work to up your wages if you progress in a company.
Just think it would be a lot fairer.

That would be good if they did pay them properly! Might start to see a real increase in standards then. That really would be in the long term interests of the country- the early years have such an impact.

Hopefully they will scrap them, I see them as really driving standards down.

400,00 vacancies is not a lot. Vacancies become available daily, people get promoted, retire, die, get signed off sick, emmigrate etc. That 400,000 figue is meaningless unless you know how long each job has been vacant. It's likely it's an average figure and each job is only vacant for a short time.

There is never going to be a time when there are no vacancies because of the above.

MrSpoc

i work mostly in the manufacturing industry and they are growing, manufacturing is returning to the UK, it is a massive, growing market. There are loads of jobs being created on a daily basis

Thats good news, I think that the decline in industry has had a huge part to play in the theme of generational unemployment.

Lots of people who have low skills/little education would previously have been working albeit as 'factory fodder' those sorts of jobs suited many who did have a good work ethic but not the education to do a skilled/professional job.

If I think back to my childhood 70s/80s there were lots of mums and family members of my friends who worked in the local factories, those factories are long gone and when I see families similar to those from my childhood invariably the mums are not working.

Finding a job that fits your parenting duties/capabilities is not as easy as some seem to think.

400,00 vacancies is not a lot what was the average then in the last 10 years?

I have an Armenian friend whose dh is a laborour, most of the people employed by his company as labourer are from Eastern Europe. Who has rejected a 21k salary, that's fantastic money, I used to be a community worker and got minimum wage, would love that salary. I am lucky as dh is supporting me to stay at home to look after dd, but would have no qualms in getting my hands dirty and minimum wage if i need to
S

Zukie A yule celebration sounds fun too! Enjoy!

AmberLeaf You're spot on there. Lots of people who have low skills/little education would previously have been working albeit as 'factory fodder' those sorts of jobs suited many who did have a good work ethic but not the education to do a skilled/professional job. That sums up one of the problems in the country at the moment, definitely.

insertcleverusernamehere - of course there are career progression oportunities for cleaners. If you have a factory who have a contract with a cleaning company, do the company not have a team leader or a manager or a director above them?

Out sorcing jobs is a great way of keeping cost down but it still creats jobs with the company who the contract has been out sorced too.

Id love to help you insertcleverusernamehere, who do you do and is it manufacturing you work in?

One good thing the Wlesh have been doing is this.

Any contracts of any sort being construction, manufacturing etc, in order to have support from the welsh assembly and planning etc have to source all their workers, materials etc from Wales, if they cannot then they can go out side of this.

If the rest of the UK took this approach then it would create more jobs and bring industry back.

If someone in my situation can claim exactly the same whilst not working as someone who is working for NMW full time, I'll go for that.

What a great idea!!!! I would be considerably better off and wouldn't have to fork out for travel to and from work or dip into my WTC equivalent or CTC to pay part of my childcare, since I'd be doing it all myself.

There'd be absolutely no incentive for any family on NMW to go to work anymore.

My income would leap by another £120 a week.

Not sure it would do much for the motivation of parents who do work for NMW or how we will afford it as a nation though.

The winner of this year's Nobel prize explained the paradox that just because there seem to be a lot of vacant jobs out there, unemployment can still be high for perfectly valid reasons. It's not a straightforward input-output model.

insertcleverusernamehere - all true to an extent. Out sorcing is done all the time to other companies in the uk. because the work is outsurced, does not man its gone to India (ok most call centres are). But big contstruction companies win projects then tender to smaller, local companies as it is less work for them but more money in the pot.

I also know of one or two people who have set up there own cleaning companies and as they grow they employ team leaders, managers.

TBH No companies have more managers than staff, that would be bonkers, but the progression is there if you work hard enough for it.

not really, all jobs need a mananger and manager to worker ratio is always simialr irrelivant of the job itself.

Now when you were talking about Domestic cleaners you do no they are all SELF EMPLOYED.

insertcleverusernamehere - where do you live? im based in Altrincham Cheshire, not looking for anyone until after Christmas.

If you need help with C.V i can assit you if you like. Inbox me and ill give you my details.

I have just inboxed you some Interview & C.V tips. Hope it helps.

I looked up the other day and if this household chose not to work we would get £18,000 rent on a 4 bed place in terms of housing benefit never mind any other benefits! It's amazingly high and 4 beds? Wow, that's very generous considering how many people who fund themselves cram into 2 and 3 bed places.

MrSpoc I would ask for a job but

1. I'm pregnant - full disclosure and all that
2. I can imagine spending time just Moaning about other people

Lol