Surely The Workshy Could Fill These Vacancies

[Bobbisox1]

And if not, why not ?

UK job vacancies at record high as wages pick up https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58241006

It would go some way to get the economy moving again

[grumpy01]

I agree that work should be encouraged but you cannot blame anyone who gets more money on benefits than he can by working.Also,you couldn't take a few unemployed to say tidy up local parks,streets etc. you would also have to find someone to supervise them who would have to be trained in H&S and train his charges how to use the tools necessary.Far simpler to leave them where they are.

[barry1010]

Even unskilled job vacancies ask for people with experience. In the other thread I mentioned the advertised vacancies for 10 shelf stackers in my local supermarket - choice of two shifts. A 4am start or a midnight finish. That rules out single parents and people who would need to travel to the job but don't have a car.
Same for bar work, or the catering industry - unsociable hours rule out so many potential employees.

[Gromit]

// Not much skill needed to pick up rubbish or clean graffiti //Unfortunately those jobs aren’t advertised because local councils are short of money.

[gulliver1]

Wonder where all these workers that used to do these jobs have gone to Bobbi ?

[Mamyalynne]

Said what I needed to on the previous thread, there were also some first hand experiences given too.

Would be great if there was a simple fix.

[naomi24]

They wouldn’t be paid by local councils, gromit. They’d get their benefits in return for their labour.

[evadora]

When we relocated from one side of the country to the other we never had jobs to go to but we never claimed benefits. We took whatever jobs we could to keep afloat - I cleaned a care home and packed meat in a factory until I founs a job as a accounts clerk which was what I trained as. My husband picked rubbish off the street for the council and also worked packing meat. Packing meat was the worse job I have ever done and not for the faint hearted but bills had to be paid. Nobody wants to do the dirty jobs today as it is much easier to sit at home and take the benefits.

[barry1010]

grumpy, do that and councils will be making redundant the people they already pay to do the job of keeping public areas clean and those offenders who do it as 'community payback' would have to be found something else to do.

[barry1010]

evadora, you and your husband are clearly employable and have useful skills.
So many people are unemployable for various reasons, I know a few I wouldn't employ in any capacity

[sp1814]

If the able-bodied were made to work for their benefits, those who are actively looking for jobs wouldn't have time to go for interviews.

If the able-bodied who had children were forced to work, would we pick up the tab for child care, or with the claimants? Would we ensure that any work undertaken was located near enough to nominated schools etc so that children didn't suffer under this new regime?

If people were expected to perform menial jobs, couldn't this lead to exploitation? Private companies paying a fee to central Government to hire x number of menial workers instead of paying a living wage to those same workers.

And we all know how transparent and above board the awarding of Government contracts are...

(cough cough) Hancock's mate (cough cough).

[grumpy01]

I just used that as an illustration Barry.The whole system needs reviewing.

[Bobbisox1]

Sp I don’t look for excuses why we have those who don’t want to work only I know there’s plenty of them

[sp1814]

Bobbisox1

But how would the DWP identify those who don't want to work? They can't ask them (as no-one would be honest for fear of losing benefits).

I suppose you could implement a policy whereby if someone were long-term unemployed (eg. over a year) they could be required to work for their benefits, but again - you'd be hampering those who genuinely *want* to work as well as those who genuinely don't.

[barry1010]

Making people work for benefits will put people out of work, unless it is pointless busywork such as painting coal white or stopping the tide coming in with a broom.

[jno]

more than a million people are estimated to have long Covid at the moment. Do you think they should all be back at work?

[Bobbisox1]

Sorry I’d like to carry on but off to the hospital to see my niece, that’s ridiculous jno, people with long Covid forced back to work, hardly work shy are they !!! They are genuinely ill

[youngmafbog]

The biggest problem with the real workshy is that who wants them working for you? They are a liability and hindrance rather than a help.

[WordyGurdy]

Or people could pay more council tax so that people could be paid to do menial jobs.

[ichkeria]

Yes I don’t see the point fretting about the so-called “workshy”
My thought was similar to ymb’s: why would you want jobs to be filled by people who supposedly don’t want to fill them?
It makes no sense

[jno]

that's the thing though, Bobbi. According to this thread there are 1.5m unemployed and 1m vacancies

https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1768712.html

But if in fact 1m of those "unemployed" are actually ill (and of course a lot of them may still be employed but on sick leave) then it's not as easy to fill all the vacancies as it might seem.