Forcing "scroungers" to take work

[Old Greg]

What I don't get is why this becomes such a hot potato at times of high unemployment - it's the wrong time to tackle it as there are not enough jobs to go round and the long-term unemployed are least likely to get them. The time to tackle it is when unemployment is low.

But... just like in the high unemployment years of the '80s, it is useful to those in power to create a narrative in which the unemployed are to blame for high unemployment. Otherwise, people might remember the bankers' and politicians' roles in the mess we find ourselves in.

[Platypus]

The point is made regularly, and eventually even you may begin to understand. There aren't the number of jobs in normal society for them "to find better job". Already these jobs get 100+ applicants. The few places hiring are not going to hire someone who is that demotivated + no experience + probably won't even turn up on the first day. Not when they have 100+ motivated people to choose from - and if that doesn't work they can hire a Pole or a Slovakian, or get Cable to import some more Indians.

Cobblers.

The number of vacancies for the three months to September 2010 was 459,000, down 30,000 over the quarter.

Source: National Statistics Online - Employment

I know quite a few young people (my kids' ages) and those who want to work have gone out and found work. Some did not "apply for the job advertised" but knocked on businesses' doors and asked.

A friend of mine's 13 year old daughter has just got a paper round. If a 13-year-old can get a job, why can't some of the lazy sods who complain "there are no jobs" or say "yeah but over 100 people apply for every job" ?

Of course there is a hard core of unemployable chavs - they can do the community service jobs. Maybe that will help them figure out that they need to change their attitude and/or get better educated.

[Addanc]

Can some of the rabid r-ght-wing growlers here explain how this can work? Given 3 important points:

1) Any job that gets advertised normally gets 100+ applicants anyway, from people able and willing to do the job.

2) Any company worth its salt would prefer one of those 100 (or import a young good looking Pole if its Starbucks or Pret-a-Manger) to all the problems that would come with Johnny Chav

3) Monitoring and co-ercing Johhny into applying for jobs he's got no interest in doing, will cost Govt money. At a time when Govt cuts are needed.

I can see only one of 2 outcomes i) A lot of paperwork/bureaucracy added, to no outcome OR ii) some Johnny's really do have their bennies stopped, and they resort to crime to get by (and yes we know some of them already do this).

Problem solved, how about employing the Chavs as transplant body parts!

[Unicorn]

Does it have to be work ?

A few arguments here about could they/would they/should they do various types of work.

How about make unemployed people behave as if they were employed. Make them sign in at a job centre at 9am, noon and 5pm like employed people. To cover all bases you might need to offer shift hour options.

Same rules as employment, absence = no benefits, drunk 'on duty' = no benefits. You need to book a holiday same as a working person to miss a period checking in.

That's the stick then offer the carrot, training courses, actual work paying more through local firms/councils or whoever signs up to such schemes.

Sounds like big brother but given the amount some claimants are making why not spend some on breaking the lifestyle of sitting at home collecting the benefits.

Yes, some would still routinely 'clock in' and keep on claiming but it'd make spot checks and case reviews somewhat easier to arrange.

[MrMark]

Cobblers.


Source: National Statistics Online - Employment

I know quite a few young people (my kids' ages) and those who want to work have gone out and found work. Some did not "apply for the job advertised" but knocked on businesses' doors and asked.

A friend of mine's 13 year old daughter has just got a paper round. If a 13-year-old can get a job, why can't some of the lazy sods who complain "there are no jobs" or say "yeah but over 100 people apply for every job" ?

Of course there is a hard core of unemployable chavs - they can do the community service jobs. Maybe that will help them figure out that they need to change their attitude and/or get better educated.

Yeah, that's right. Someone's daughter you know got a paper round...therefore there are plenty of jobs around...

still, we can always take that job off her, and force it on the chav. Yeah, that sounds sensible...

[vetran]

Have to do something.

Friend of mine a lorry driver was looking for work, plenty of poorly paid nasty jobs at low pay but it wasn't worth his while getting off benefits. Now employed and happy but it took 9 months. His benefits were being reduced.

Another was on benefits for 12 months as she needed £30k to break even. Now had to get a job because her mortgage interest payment benefit has been reduced.

and so on.

Suggest 3 months benefits if you have been working a year and 1 month for every year you have worked since last serious benefit claim limited to say 6 months.

Then you fall back to lesser benefits and always profit share on any house interest payments.

After 12 months on housing benefit you get relocated to cheaper accommodation/area if renting. No more 12 bedroom mansions in Notting hill.

Then a part of your benefits are tied to work. Plenty of work can be done, everything is set as piece work so no work = no pay.

Plenty of stuff we ship to India & China because its not economic to do here. Telephone interviews for data collection, Data entry, Fabric recycling,Plastic recycling, electrical goods recycling etc. All low skill high labour. Make the higher skilled jobs pay slightly more. No need for minimum wage. Make it attractive for companies to keep jobs on shore but because they have to train people who may well get a job they hire the best ones with a transition plan.

Maybe we can make tools for the third world and ship them to them rather than sending them money for the princes to buy BMWs..