Is the jobcentre failing Britain, or are we failing ourselves?

 

At least 430,000 individuals have been claiming Job seekers allowance for 12 months or more, according to the Telegraph. 

The Job centre is being blamed for focussing too much on statistics over who they're removing from the benefits system rather than who they're getting in to work. Working in this way of course will mean that the quality of work provided through the centre will not be of utmost importance. The BBC report that 'Key criticisms include not helping to update CVs and concentrating on getting people any job instead of the right one.'

One candidate working through Essential commented 'I was made to apply for around 40 jobs a fortnight. When I complained that there were not 40 new jobs available each fortnight which corresponded to my experiences and qualifications, my money was stopped. When I did get an interview, the times clashed with my fortnightly sign on - I rang to ask to reschedule due to a job interview, and was declined. I decided to ditch the job centre, go to the interview and got the job.' 

This example shows that the interests of the job centre workers clearly were not in this candidate securing work, rather that their procedures were carried out as planned. The candidate noted that 'I was treated the same as those who can't be bothered to work, even though I'm trying'. Many believe that the centre is not doing enough to engage with businesses or to cater for individual needs of job seekers - something definitely backed up by our candidate feedback.

Let us know about your experiences with the Job Centre, good or bad by commenting below! And if you want to work through an agency that really cares about your needs, find your local Essential branch here. 

Sources: Telegraph, BBC