So, who is going to employ all these disabled people the government wants to wean of welfare

[Jimisnotmyname]

Really wondering. Not saying it is necessarily a bad thing to encourage those who can work, to work but as a carer for 2 disabled family members, I am hugely struggling to find another job as nobody is willing to give me any flexibility (which I need as a carer) and there are always candidates who do not need the same accomodations I do. I would imagine that many of those currently not in work because of disability or a health condition, will often need a similar level of flexibility. I just wonder who on the the government think will offer jobs galore on these circumstances??

This has been discussed a lot. I think money has been put aside for work schemes, especially for young people.

Employers will need to make reasonable adjustments which for some will involve a lot of flexibility. Hopefully we'll see more flexible working being introduced. Working from home is a lot more common now.

I'm wondering if people will be forced into any employment such as NMW work.

Not everyone, it seems to be predominantly Daily Heil readers who know hundreds of people claiming benefits because they're sad.

Yup.

My mate is bipolar and on lithium. You're lucky to see him outside his flat once a month. Who could employ him? He's unable to do anything consistently - struggles with sleep, struggles with staying awake, terrified of his own shadow, can't speak on the phone to someone he doesn't know (I'm his appointee with the council, DWP and police for example).

If you met him on a good day you'd think there was nothing wrong with him - he's intelligent, funny, tries to help people where he can, but even I have never seen him on a bad day (the voices) as he obviously doesn't leave his flat on a bad day and won't speak to us or anyone else when he's battling his brain.

He's a young man, very unfit through lack of exercise but generally good health otherwise, and would be a prime target for this. I'm hoping he's going to be OK through this process!!

Care homes, local authorities and education institutions will offer more flexibility than regular corporate jobs.

Do they? Who do you know that does this? Or is this "anecdata"?

OK, and when someone can't come in because of pain / insomnia / personal care needs, how long until they are sacked?

Its a shame the government have discouraged part time/starter jobs by using Employers NI and workers immediate rights to make taking a chance on someone that may not immediately fit the bill too risky and expensive.

And can't claim benefits because the criteria is so stringent and they've been sacked. I'm predicting a lot more homelessness, astronomical food bank use and debt.

They won't, but it'll be cheaper to have them scrape by on JSA, or rely on a partner who works to support them financially entirely, than pay disability benefits (not saying I think this is a good thing!)

For those with mental health issues, the routine of employment might help them. Its better we take these steps now rather than when we're forced to by the IMF.

The country can no longer afford (nor could it ever really) to be pay people with such a wide range of illnesses, either top up benefits or to not work at all.

I don't think any country on earth can.

I am scared of this too. I have not worked for over 10 years and have no qualifications since I was 19 which is a really old GNVQ.
When I used to go to the job centre, I had to have someone go with me. They can't go with me to interviews and work.
When I get overwhelmed, I can't talk and I shut down. How will I get a job if I can't even pass an interviews?
All the talk of the changes to benefits has made me feel like I don't want to be here anymore.

I think the government need to look at why people aren't working and divert funds to things that would help. There are large numbers of people not working because of various mental health conditions, but no funding available for counselling or for practical things (eg. Healthy eating and nutrition courses or subsidised gym/swimming pool memberships better funding for schools and alternative routes to employment outside of academia, get bigger corporations to pay more in wages so that people arent reliant on government top-ups etc which might help people improve their health, finances, mood etc. get people well enough to work and also reduce NHS waiting lists for a whole raft of operations and interventions.

Sweeping cuts with nothing in place to remedy the current situation seems quite short sited.

This is the big question, isn't it? They've gone for the stupid option again. We have had 14 years of constant cuts, to no good effect. It's the definition of insanity to do.more of something that hasn't worked.

We needed a new approach and what we will get is more poverty, homelessness and crime.

I happily hire mums who need school hours in my company, so I'm flexible on that. I'd be more than happy to do the same for disabled people if the government covered the cost of sick days (over a certain reasonable number) in full. As it would be too risky to have to cover out of my own pocket, it's hard enough as it is to cover sick.

Really? They don't need employees who turn up reliably, work to a set standard, and don't have lots of time off ill / for medical appointments. And I am not saying that that is true of all people with disabilities at all - but not one of those "institutions" is significantly more flexible than any other employment. If employers were willing to facilitate disabled people being in work there would be fewer of them out of work.

That is exactly the sort of thing that's needed!

They also need a big campaign so that people who are able to work aren't thinking short term.

At the moment people compare their benefits to what they would earn now. But in five years time they'd likely still be on the same benefits while they'd be earning a lot more in a job and have progression to build on further.

No one.

I have to work from home or very locally due to a needing to be within 30 minutes of my disabled DD incase of medical device failure and also needing slightly reduced hours (or to make my hours up outside of standard 9-5).

I’m a contractor/freelancer in a very in demand area, and in my opinion this is a very minor adjustment. Pre-covid no one batted an eyelid at me working remotely and flexible hours, as long as I made myself available for all meetings and met the deadlines. In the past 6-12 months I’ve seen a sudden move towards ‘no adjustments’, it has to be 5 days a week with 2/3 days in an office (usually in London - so with a commute).

They’ll then have the audacity to ask me if I can recommend someone else who ‘is more open to coming into the office’.

So, if anything we’ve regressed and it would have been easier for people with disabilities who need adjustments to find work 3-5 years ago.

have you ever tried to get a job that needs a lot of flexibility?

Care homes? I can’t walk unaided, in fact my elderly parents are more mobile than me, how would that work in a care home? I worked in education until I couldn’t drag myself in any longer. Not only that I’m not sure there’s many parents who’d be happy for their children to be looked after by someone who is on crutches and is likely to fall on their face at any time. I could take my wheelchair but most schools & nurseries aren’t accessible.

I think that some assessments are to be scrapped/reduced which will cut down the admin bill.

@WeylandYutani It must be a really scary time for you. If you don’t mind me asking me, what could help you get into the world of work?

Just reading Mumsnet, it’s ASTONISHING how many people (and the proportion of them) have disabilities/debilitating health issues, or have children who are disabled or debilitated by SEN symptoms.
Was this country always so poorly and we just didn’t know about it? Or has our health deteriorated really badly over the last while, and if so, why?

There is barely a poster on here who doesn’t have disabilities to deal with in some guise other. ☹️