UK unemployment increases to 2.685m

[denphone]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16608394

UK unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November to 2.685 million, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate also rose to 8.4% from 8.3%, the highest since January 1996.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in December rose by 1,200 to 1.6 million.

That was lower than expected and came from a lower base than had been thought.

The Employment Minister, Chris Grayling said the figures were worrying: "The overall level of unemployment is, and will remain, a major concern for the government.

"Despite the exceptionally difficult economic circumstances, finding work for the unemployed will remain top of the government's agenda."

[Gary L]

And the answer is. reduce the amount of money paid out in benefits by regrading a lot of people. punish a lot of people with sanctions thus reducing the bill. and then flood the market with free labour.

and then tell the country that there's plenty of work out there. it's just that these claimants are lazy.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

GaryL, l resent the comment that you have made, saying that claimants are lazy.

My son has been unemployed since he left college, two years ago and he has tried everything to find work, l have tried finding him work, BUT everyone l have tried say there is no work for his age =- he is 22years old.

The best comment that l had was was a recruiting agency is that foreign workers are taking all the work available due to cheap wages. I won't let my son work for cheap wages that he cannot live on, l am not supporting him, he is old enough now to look after himself.

I totally resent what this coalition is doing to help the unemployed which is =- NOTHING. I spoke to a guy from DWP, who stated to me that foreign workers are allowed to sign on either if they have just come into the country. And they are taking everything going as employers are taking them on a much lower rate than they are supposed to do.

When l was unemployed, l did everything possible to find work, but couldn't.

Remember one thing, IF you find work and are on benefit, to get help you have to work six weeks, get pay slips before you get anything from benefit, and if you find work, and tell the jobcentre, they stop your benefit and then you have to ask for a crisis loan and this takes time.

This coalition are a disgrace and even they say by 2015 the unemployed will rise to 3 million =- and thats come the coalition themself.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

GaryL, l resent the comment that you have made, saying that claimants are lazy.

That's alright, because I didn't.

---------- Post added at 13:18 ---------- Previous post was at 12:26 ----------

There's a rise in self employment.

probably car washing and shoe cleaning.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

GaryL, l resent the comment that you have made, saying that claimants are lazy.

My son has been unemployed since he left college, two years ago and he has tried everything to find work, l have tried finding him work, BUT everyone l have tried say there is no work for his age =- he is 22years old.

The best comment that l had was was a recruiting agency is that foreign workers are taking all the work available due to cheap wages. I won't let my son work for cheap wages that he cannot live on, l am not supporting him, he is old enough now to look after himself.

I totally resent what this coalition is doing to help the unemployed which is =- NOTHING. I spoke to a guy from DWP, who stated to me that foreign workers are allowed to sign on either if they have just come into the country. And they are taking everything going as employers are taking them on a much lower rate than they are supposed to do.

When l was unemployed, l did everything possible to find work, but couldn't.

Remember one thing, IF you find work and are on benefit, to get help you have to work six weeks, get pay slips before you get anything from benefit, and if you find work, and tell the jobcentre, they stop your benefit and then you have to ask for a crisis loan and this takes time.

This coalition are a disgrace and even they say by 2015 the unemployed will rise to 3 million =- and thats come the coalition themself.

Between you and the government doing nothing what's the lad to do, imo take one of the jobs you're stopping him from applying for, low paid menial work looks a hell of a lot better on a cv than being unemployed.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Here we go again, workers taking very low paid jobs to get off the unemployment ladders.

There are thousands of employers out there paying back handers to staff to work long hours for a pittance of a wage.

The UK is not a third rate country, its a country where there are people that want to work, but NOT for a pittance of a wage.

I am only stopping my son from taking a low wage job, as he has been offered £4.00 per hour for doing a ten hour day, and just 30 minutes for lunch.

He has been for interviews and been offered around the same wage, the cost of living rises but wages are at an all time low. My wages have been frozen for another two years, on top of the freeze placed upon us by this disgraceful coalition, my next pay rise (if ANY) will be in 2014 in that time cost of living rises, rent rises etc.

IF you want to take a job that you only take home £700.00 per month be my guest.

I will not allow my son to take a job that will financial cripple him,

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

I won't let my son work for cheap wages that he cannot live on, l am not supporting him, he is old enough now to look after himself.

Bizarre, contradictory mix of ideas there.......

[Hugh]

What is he living on, if you are not supporting him?

[denphone]

Well Arthurs either not telling us everything or he must be living on fresh air alone then.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Hugh

What is he living on, if you are not supporting him?

1: on the dole
2: on the rob
3: bit of ducking and diving
4: ebay
5: none of the above

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

I will not allow my son to take a job that will financial cripple him,

Yeah 'coz he's living in clover on the dole, thanks to your advice he'll may well be unemployable soon as he has no experience of anything other than a life on the dole.

[Hom3r]

The trouble is some people can be to qualified, When I was out of work I had applied for loads of jobs many of which never responded.

I applied for every job that Tesco had from stacking shelves to management, I got the response "To Quailfied". But the DWP didn't accept this, even with the letters that more or less stated such.

[Damien]

If I understood Arthur correctly the firms that are offering jobs are paying below minimum wage, in which case his son is quite right in rejecting them. There is a difference between turning down jobs because they have poor pay and turning down jobs because they are exploitative.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Damien

If I understood Arthur correctly the firms that are offering jobs are paying below minimum wage, in which case his son is quite right in rejecting them. There is a difference between turning down jobs because they have poor pay and turning down jobs because they are exploitative.

Surely, (with a few exceptions) it's illegal to offer pay below the minimum wage relevant for their age, or are these so-called 'self-employed' jobs?

[Damien]

Originally Posted by danielf

Surely, (with a few exceptions) it's illegal to offer pay below the minimum wage relevant for their age?

Yes. Doesn't stop people however. When he said 'foreign workers are taking all the work available due to cheap wages' that led me to believe we're talking about people exploiting these foreign workers who will work cash in hand and not cause a fuss.