[Shasown]

My neighbour works as a Jobseeker advisor for the New Deal currently, he says the current system isnt much good at encouraging employers to take on new staff.

The current system is undergoing change even while we discuss it, currently jobseekers get phased into 3 different phases or stages depending how long they have been unemployed. The full format of the new system hasnt as yet been finalised, but a few of the incentives for both employers and the jobseeker have been removed. (Free WorkTrials, Government payment of £3000 to the employer for taking on a jobseeker.)

Stage 1 is for 3 months with fortnightly signing on for the duration, at the end of the 3 months the jobseeker then goes onto 6 weeks of weekly signing on.

Stage 2 is where the jobseeker signs on and makes a detailed plan for finding a job with an advisor, duing this there are training courses and work placements. the work placements were in certain areas found to actively prevent some firms from taking on additional workers, an example of this from my neighbour was Tescos, willingly accepting 6 placements continuously for over 2 years and never once offering any of them a job, they would simply have a new placement to replace the old one.

However the jobcentre official policy on this was that the person on the placement would gain valuable experience and a potential reference. Placements are for 12 weeks generally and the person on the placement actually gets about £15 a week on top of the JSA.

Stage 3 then has 6 weeksof weekly signing on and then alternate fortnightly signings back at the normal desks alternating with signing with the jobseeker advisor.

Currently when someone on Jobseekers signs on they have to inform the jobcentre of what jobs they have applied and other jobseeking activities, the Jobcentre can check any of the details at any time and if found to be false the jobseeker risks losing benefit for 6 weeks.


Its a great idea to place long term unemployed into various community based work programs however using them to fill local council shortfalls will only lead to industrial action.

NALGO etc are not going to standby and see their members etc made redundant and then replaced with the unemployed. Its also in violation of Employment laws, you cant declare a position redundant then fill it with a volunteer.