To expect the UK's 1 million unemployed to get a job as a Care Worker?

[SquireOfGreenway]

The number of people unemployed in the UK is just over 1 million - the lowest it's been since the early 1970s. However, we should still surely expect that figure to be even lower.

From next year, it may be much harder for care-providing organisations to recruit European migrants to fill their Care Worker vacancies.

Surely, it is reasonable to expect any UK resident who is unemployed, claiming job-seekers allowance and so far unable to get a job to be required to get a job as a Care Worker? If they don't then they should be sanctioned and lose their state benefits.

I am not just talking about Care Work. I am talking about all minimum-wage and minimum-wage plus jobs that we have been relying on European migrants to fill.

Why not? There will always be maybe a few 100,000s unemployed, as people move from one job to another, etc. But why should there be a million unemployed people if there is a shortage of workers in any industry that does not require any great level of pre-entry qualifications?

Regardless of their qualifications, previous experience, skill set or personality type? Are being serious?

Not everyone is cut out to be a carer, it take dedication.

Ive been a carer for 30+ years.

Stupidest idea I've heard for a long time. I was a care worker for 9.5 years - it is NOT a job 'anybody' could or should do!

Outrageously ignorant post

You know what else all these unemployed people could do? They could join the forces!

Hang on...doesn't that sound a bit like conscription?

Care work doesn't sound like a 9-5 job so people might not be able to get childcare. The childcare might also cost more than the care work wages, so how would that work? Might make more sense to support single mums to care for their own child for a couple of years

Not care work, this requires suitable skills and somebody who actually wants to be in that sector.

However your general idea I agree with, no reason they can't clean toilets, sweep the streets, pick fruit etc. They should 100% have to do unskilled work - just not care

There does need to be a conversation about where the adult social care needs are going to be met.

This ^

Johnson’s wonderful social care plan that he bragged about pre-election has mysteriously disappeared.

This has got to be a wind-up post.

So as SoCrimeaRiver says, who is going to do these jobs if the unemployed aren't suitable and we can't get anyone from overseas as the pay is too low. People aren't going to leave their jobs for a career in care work if it only pays £18000 a year and I bet many don't get that much.

OP this is not a good idea. Being a carer is a skilled job although I do think the care home owners don't want it seen like this really as it would cost them more.

I hope, with the new rules, that the unemployed are encouraged/given free training to re-train. There are jobs out there but many don't want to do them because let's be honest most aren't qualified and the jobs aren't very nice. This is where choice comes - you either stay on UC or you do a job you don't like and get more money.

The fact is that if these jobs can't be filled there may be shortages and wages could rise leading to higher priced goods. This will affect everyone but will affect the poor more.

@Babdoc I would not believe anything you see on those 'documentaries', which are really just staged junk tv to whip up the masses. Just Daily Fail made for tv. It's not true reality.

It always baffles me when caring for society's most vulnerable is seen a something just anyone can do

Hello Dominic and his weirdos, is this testing out another of your great ideas?

My first thought this morning on hearing the news was that social care will be in trouble (we’ll even more than it already is). I can’t see how the sector will function without an exemption.

Wholeheartedly agree with everyone who's posted above that care roles really are not jobs just anyone picked from the street should be doing. Nothing to add to that.

Me thinks the OP has lit the blue touchpaper and retired immediately...

You do realise that a significant proportion of “unemployed” people are actually disabled people that the government have decided aren’t disabled enough? Most definitely not suited to care work or manual labour

I think under the new system IF it gets listed as a shortage occupation and you can speak English and have a job sponsor it is just possible to get the minuimum required number of points for a visa.

I bet if the work was better paid more people would train and want to do it. But like everything that is seen as "caring" (womens work) such as childcare, Early yeras education, HCA etc it is low paid.

However your general idea I agree with, no reason they can't clean toilets, sweep the streets, pick fruit etc. They should 100% have to do unskilled work - just not care

No reason except for the fact that unemployed are not indentured servants and Jobseekers Allowance/Universal Credit pay far below minimum wage so essentially you would have unemployed people carrying out slave labour at below market value.

In addition to this, unemployed people have to spend a minimum of 35hrs a week looking for work, when would they fit this in around their enforced servitude?

If a role exists for picking fruit, sweeping streets, cleaning toilets, etc then it should be advertised, filled, and paid at the appropriate wage.

I worked as a HCA from 2005 onwards and in the interview for said job I was asked few questions, just waffled at. After 2 weeks of cursory training (taking observations, manual handling) and 2 hours of shadowing another care worker I was basically left to get on with the job.

This was on a general medical ward where the condition of patients was very varied and included dying people. I like to think I'm not a particularly stupid person, I had an interest in medicine etc so had some background knowledge. That job was the hardest I have ever done, with a huge learning curve. I was lucky that the ward I worked on was well managed and the nurses very helpful and willing to teach. On a less well managed ward with lots of agency staff I would probably have been a bloody liability.

Hopefully it's more of a process now, but seriously any old person should not be able to just walk into a care job. It often requires a high level of medical knowledge and understanding, especially if you are working alone in someone's home. Most of the people I worked with were great but some were thicker than fucking mud and I wouldn't trust them to look after a houseplant.

The OP does say other minimum wage jobs as well as care work.

Regardless, there are a good many people who are quite simply unemployable. Stupid idea.

What a truly chilling thought op

Care workers are massively underpaid. Barely living on minimum wage. Let’s sort out wages first before we force people into jobs they don’t want to do. Until the living wage/minimum wage is increased to a decent level why wouldn’t people claim benefits. Also low wage means tax credits again government subsiding companies to pay poorly.

Care work is undervalued and underpaid. Not everyone is cut out for it . The care workforce should be better trained and better paid . It takes particular personal characteristics to be suitable for the job. YABVU. I also agree with the point that some unemployed people have disabilities but the government have decided that they are capable of work. They could not manage a very physical job.