To think people on benefits can’t win

[Flamingosareflummoxed]

I’ve heard so many people this week, in real life, moaning about people on benefits. I get it that we are all struggling. The cost of living is crippling.
But every week there are posts on here from women who were in 70K per year HR positions who are finding it difficult to get interviews for MW jobs.
There are no jobs.
The few jobs that there are will be flooded with applications, why would recruiters chose someone who has been unemployed for years?
Plus all those with long term disabilities who need reasonable adjustments.
Its like people want to bash people knowing there is no real alternative.

What are you on about?
I got fired. I could not help that.

You say care work is shit and you got fired when you did a trial for bar work. What do you want to do?

Why did you get fired during a trial?

I spilt drinks everywhere and have very bad sort term memory.

Sorry to hear that! Hope they find something soon. I've been there and it can be really demoralising.

TA in school. Look on mynewterm. There are many many roles in education

Exactly. I've just finished a job working in benefits advice for over 50's and many hadn't worked for years if ever.

What jobs can they do?
I know someone who has been declared 'fit for work' He is in his 50s and last worked in his 20s. What can he do?

Agree they need more help to get back to work.

what employer will take him on?
The job centre pushed him into care work. He ended up ill and is now in hospital. He has schizophrenia

That clearly shouldn't have happened and he clearly has a valid reason to not be working but there are very many who have no valid reason to have been out of work for years.

Ermmmm,….they’re not allowed back in education, are they? They have to be looking for work.

Tell the DPW that, told him he was fit for work. The system is broken for everyone

Agree. The problem is that the DWP’s idea of fit for work is fit for any work, regardless of whether or not it’s available and viable.

Yep, they kept saying he should do care work, because he has a friend. It is daft.
Well, he ended up ill and back under MH services. Not fit for work again.

The level of understanding of what disability benefits are intended for, how hard they are to secure, and why they are needed is abysmal. But that’s nothing new for MN. The general consensus seems to be that if you’re on DLA or PIP you’re coining it in. No thought to the fact that severe disability brings extra costs and that disability benefits are intended as a contribution to those costs. And don’t get me started on carers allowance. £86 per week on the understanding that you provide at least 35 hours of care per week - that’s around £2.30 an hour. It’s also deducted from UC in full and replaced with carers premium which is worth around half. It’s also subject to a cliff edge earnings limit of under £200 per week. That’s how much successive governments value unpaid carers, who, if truth be told, save the tax payer a fortune.

Funny thing is I don't think of DS as severely disabled at all. He's incredibly intelligent, very funny and lots of fun when he's doing well.

It was honestly a bit of a shock to do the DLA form and realise the extent of what we do that wouldn't be expected with a child his age. He's an only child so we didn't have much to compare to. It's becoming more apparent now that I see the kids he was at school with in primary out and about, doing things independently, picking up shopping for their mum's etc.

Also DS is very like me, so there were things I just didn't pick up on.