to wonder why anyone is unemployed in London?

[wonderinggWoman]

There have been a few programmes on tv recently that have featured unemployed people in London. I can't understand how there are healthy, able bodied people who aren't working. There's a lot of work in London, public transport is good.

I am not wealthy, but have lived in London all my life and have always worked, now I worked my way up as a professional but previously in any job available, waitressing, cleaning, telesales, bar work. I'm also a single parent but don't see that as a reason to rely on the state.

It upsets me that those who genuinely can't work through sickness and health issues have to compete for council accommodation etc with those who are entitled and can't be bothered to work.

Aibu, am I missing something here?

[Sazzle41]

YouAreMyFavouriteWasteOfTime - my best friend works in childrens mental health in Tower Hamlets. Yes its the most poverty stricken borough in London. But if you knew the problems there, often a cycle of thrid/fourth genearation abuse/domestic violence/mental health issues, just living is a challenge to a lot of residents, never mind attaining the social, education and work skills necessary to survive in a dog eat dog place like London. I also did teacher training in a deprived part of Derby. The fact some of my children even got to school was a miracle never mind learning once they got there with what was going on at home each night. A lot of them didnt want to go home come 3pm unsurprisingly.

Worra & Lovecat - i also live in outskirts East London so hellooo !

[Lovecat]

Yes, a friend of mine teaches in Barking & Dagenham and she says some days it's an achievement just to get to the end of the day with no violent incidents :(

Regarding jobs in Pret, which I've now seen mentioned twice on this thread, it's not that easy to get a job there

[Kittymautz]

There may be lots of jobs advertised in London (ignoring the fake agency jobs and zero hours minimum wage contracts which don't guarantee you will earn enough to eat and pay bills, let alone pay London rent), but there are many many more people looking for work.

This time a year ago I was unemployed (I took voluntary redundancy to switch careers), and I was very lucky that I had some skills and experience in a relatively specialist area of charity fundraising, so I was able to apply for suitable jobs and be in competition with a smallish number of applicants. I got a great job within around three months, albeit on £7k less than my previous job (but had paid my mortgage off early with redundancy money so could afford that).

As well as the more specialist charity jobs, I also looked at more general admin type jobs. Most had well over 100 applicants, and these were not particularly well paid or interesting jobs.

I have a friend who used to do well paid contract work in the design area. He hasn't been able to get regular work in the last few years, just a couple if short contracts. He is in pretty dire straits right now and is more than willing to take on minimum wage work, but even this work is very hard to come by, due to the numbers of people after every but if work, especially considering he is a man in his fifties competing against energetic twenty-somethings.

[Kittymautz]

Oh, and to address the suggestion of volunteering to get experience, yes that's a great idea but in the charity sector it is common to get dozens of applicants for unpaid volunteer positions.

At one charity I know, they advertised a minimum wage six month internship. They had 90 graduates apply.

[turgiday]

OP if you are telling the truth, your friend is lying to you. She would not be given a council flat for those reasons.

[turgiday]

I think one issue rarely acknowledged, is that some people are barely employable. Some of these individuals would struggle to get volunteer positions as they usually need more support in even the most basic job, than the work they actually do.

I remember in the 80's being told the local Job Centre had a secret list of people who they thought were not employable, and they basically left them alone. That no longer happens.

[goldfishmemory]

I live on a London council estate and it's often not obvious how or why people were allocated their tenancies. I got mine because I suffered from DV but it's not something I talk about to anyone, so they could just assume there was no reason for priority. The only childless people on the estate are those who have mental health/medical issues. Sometimes these are clear once you get to know them, but with some people it's not obvious at all.

Most of the people I know here work. Those who don't aren't usually what I'd consider unemployed, as they aren't getting JSA - usually on ESA for health issues, or Carer's allowance due to having disabled relatives to look after, or studying so getting a loan.

[Southeastdweller]

Regarding jobs in Pret, which I've now seen mentioned twice on this thread, it's not that easy to get a job there

Love, to be clear, the article suggests that it's not that easy for a Brit to get a job there.

Also, the article is over two years old. Seems like there's more Brits working in Pret now, if the number of British accents I hear in some branches is anything to go by.

[Nancy66]

As others have said: if you're fit, single, childless then yes work is fairly easy to come by.

less so if you don't fall into above categories.

[BIWI]

Actual LOL at MrsDV as a hod carrier! In a pink high viz vest, obviously!

[Nancy66]

That's true Mrs D, most retail jobs do seem to do that. Would be ok if you worked the same hours every week and could look for other work on top but seems the hours vary all the time.

[SugarMouse1]

Really? I live in west London and there are loads of charity shop volunteering roles available.

I have no degree and no specialist experience but I have only ever been unemployed in London for a couple of weeks at a time.

Although, it would have sometimes been easier to be unemployed then on part time minimum wage with high transport costs.

I have lost jobs for my lack of 'social skills' too, not being 'bubbly' enough being one. But not all jobs care. The ones worth keeping value hard work above anything, so it's not an excuse to say mild ASD repo pole can't get customer service jobs. I also have depression/anxiety/phobia of public speaking/ distrust of cliques, but I manage.

It is doable, not in anyway easy.

[mamma12]

Maybe you should stop reading the daily mail and get to really know your neighbors instead of being so judgmental. I have a brilliant job now, having spent one whole year applying for every single job I could. I'm educated to post graduate level and I was rejected by many employers who said I was overqualified. sorry but you really haven't got a clue. I actually pity you that you would feel so strongly about something constructed by the right wing press.

[Sicaq]

As had been said, hundreds of people going for every job. And for many jobs qualifications work against you - will you employ the unemployed doctor of nanotechnology to fill your job in Costa or Poundland, knowing she's using it as a stopgap while she's between fixed term contracts in her actual career?

[SugarMouse1]

If being overqualified goes against you, just omit your qualifications then, surely?

focus on your work/voluntary experience and relevant skills.

[twofingerstoGideon]

Yes, it's always a great idea to lie by omission on job application forms. We should all aspire to play down our hard-gained qualifications, eh?

[Aspiringhuman]

It can be difficult to pretend you don't have qualifications. If I tried it, well actually I did try it but never used that version of my CB because it left massive gaps in my job history. Not just the time I spent studying but the years I spent doing jobs that could only be done with those qualifications.

[Southeastdweller]

I think some clever 'massaging' on CV can be helpful, especially if it's only a short term job you're applying for.