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.

You asked me by quoting me.

Zac plans to give everyone UBI, then nobody will have to work. All funded by taxing the billionaires.

Ok, whatever. I also implied that you voted reform, according to you.

Which absolutely terrifies me and keeps me awake at night.

I just hope they don't get in but then I'm not feeling very hopeful about that.

Same, my 17 year old has applied for over 500 jobs, done several interviews and even trials - the competition is hard.

He done 4 hours pot washing and there were 6 others there that day to, they had people all over the weekend on different shifts.

Interviewers said they have had over 600 applications for shelf stacking.

It's an employers market at the moment.

Nobody would have to work……Nobody at a hospital, nobody at a supermarket, nobody to take your bin rubbish away, nobody to administer your benefits or pension, nobody to build anything. Nobody to work……
The world would laugh.

The posters always going on about 'free luxury cars' never seem to know much about the Motability scheme, I think. I wonder where they get their information from, as they all seem to sing from the same hymn sheet.

Delivery driver? Chugger? Spoons staff? Trainee phlebotomist? Care assistant? Steward at public events? Civil enforcement officer? These ads are on repeat in Essex.

I recall a thread a while back that explained the crazy recruitment systems for the most basic jobs that some companies go through now. Silly tests and all sorts. They need dumping. An old fashioned interview should suffice.

Of course people will work....UBI+ a wage would mean more £ for those working than those not, isn't that what people want?

I am employed and receive a UC top up. I get told that I’m not amongst the people that others are complaining about.

I work in a professional job and am keen to climb the ladder. But as a single parent I need to stay with my family friendly employer. Essentially I’ve worked there a long time and it would be difficult to make me redundant. I need the security. But obviously this limits my options. There are jobs available all the time but none of them are in my field and many departments have a recruitment freeze on and have for a long time now. This affects everyone along the “food chain”. The stressed managers who need someone in post but can’t get their HR to approve the vacancy. People like me in the middle who can’t move up, people earlier in their career who would otherwise apply for my job, right down to graduates and school leavers not being able to apply for the entry level positions. For the basic admin roles there can be hundreds of applicants so unless you have recent experience and a decent personal statement you won’t even get an interview. It is surprising how many people lack even basic skills on writing a CV and application form, but then it’s hardly their fault if they haven’t had anyone to help them and when they can spend so much time on an application for nothing. When I’ve been on interview panels all of the candidates interviewed were capable of doing the job but we could only give the role to 1 person so that individual has to really stand out. A huge amount of roles are now fixed term contracts because the funding is only there for a certain period of time, this puts off people applying for them if they already have a permanent role albeit a lower paid one.

If someone wanted a basic admin role with our employer I’d encourage them to join the temping service for experience, but that involves a degree of insecurity because you don’t know where you’d end up and sometimes the hours are very part time or unsociable.

Add in the people who are already in jobs and could apply for higher ones to “free up” entry level jobs but are so burnt out with their many responsibilities that they simply don’t have time to throw themselves into job applications.

I know.

It's the case with disability benefits in general. My favourite is when someone claims to be so sure a child they know shouldn't be getting 'PIP' but clearly has no clue how it works in the first place as they don't even know the difference between PIP and DLA.

Happens all the time on benefit threads.

Ditto. It will be chaos.

There are jobs - many of them.

Anything suggested to the contrary is an absolute cop out.

Let Reform dismantle the current benefits system, and watch how quickly people miraculously find their way back into paid employment when depending on the government isn’t an option.

I do manage to work but I periodically have to quit to care for my disabled son who still after 4 years out of education has not been given a school place. Some people do absolutely play the system but so many of us desperately want fiar access for our kids that others have and the ability to work.

I own my home so there is no help with rent available to me. I have to pay the mortgage myself on less than a tenant would recieve. And because I own the house there is no help for repairs. I’m in a street that’s mostly housing association and they are all getting new kitchens and bathrooms periodically. My home is a far lower standard than the tenanted properties and we live on significantly less benefit than if I’d never worked and bought this house.

similrly I have health issues making working very challenging. But I’m on massive wait lists and just reffered between departments.

you can’t attack benifit claimants without first sorting healthcare and access to education/support for disabilities

But not all of the vacancies will be suitable.

So saying there is X amount of vacancies is not relevant when 90% of them require things that you don’t have.

They will also be across the entire country, so most of them you can’t apply for.

So that 700,000 vacancies are realistically more like 50 and then you’re up against other un employed people as well as employed people, who are more likely to get the job.

If you’re a single parent or carer then that 50 turns into more like 10 due to childcare times.

With all due respect, and I'm not aiming this at you, but so what? If that's what you have to do to get gainful employment, support yourself, and pay your way in life, then so be it. We can't just let that be yet another reason that a lot of feckless oafs'll use to avoid going for jobs they can do.

and the people who can't?

Working tax credit is the biggest employer subsidy going.

Good job it's been abolished then, @Monty36 !

You obviously don’t live in the real world.

What do you do for work?
What would you do if you get made redundant?

To add, it is an oversimplification to say to a single parent (for example) that there are plenty of jobs available. If I was offered a higher paying job which required me in the office 5 days a week then I probably wouldn’t be able to take it because the after school club my ds8 goes to (currently once a week) has no availability, there is a huge waiting list. All of the childminders in the area are full and many are reducing their hours because government funding for the smaller children doesn’t cover what they need.

Because it is a waste of time for the employer. Who should be able to use their judgement. Part of being a manager I would have thought.
The reasons people are refused are for seemingly stupid reasons with no rationale attached. According to the thread. Doing tasks completely unrelated to the job. It gives a job to the consultants who recommend it I guess.
But also, for those who are younger, who have less confidence, who have a disability they would be unsuccessful.
I remember quoting a young man who had learning difficulties who I helped get a job. Collecting the trolleys at a supermarket. It was the application form and an interview. I spoke to the Personnel manager before and whilst he was employed. He loved it. It gave him dignity. He was working. And utterly reliable. In all weathers. A great success. Using some of the current nonsense of tests he would not have stood an earthly. That is why ‘so what’. Because it matters if people get put on a reject pile when they don’t need to be.

You'd need to look at why they “can’t”.

If it’s a lack of skills, then retraining will be imperative and I’m sure there will be provisions available for this.

Yes there are jobs, but so many people applying for each one. Yes there is some laziness, but it isn’t all that. My daughter spent months applying for so many part time jobs before she finally got one. Too many people looking and not enough roles

What do you mean by 'better tell the DWP that then? I'm confused.