UK unemployment hits 16 year high

[Graham]

How very depressing

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/b ... -year-high

To see so many able body persons, wasted, and going no where in life.

I feel more sad fro the students who have done several years UNI, at big cost to their parents.
These youngsters, like it or not, are our future.

Where is it all going to end?
Can it end?
Can we as a country that used to dominate the world trades ( ok, a long time ago) get back up there again.
I know we have to blame a lot on various governments, and probably to be honest, a lot of the down turn isn't really our fault.

So these youngsters, will they be able to afford to pay our pension when we retire?

Gra.

 

[fridayman]

I wonder how many of those people on "jobseeker's" allowance would be willing to do unskilled labour? Or temporary jobs? We seem to have plenty of migrants that come to the UK to work, yet have an unemployment problem. I was brought up that if times get tough, you do what you need to do (wash cars, pick veggies, stack shelves, whatever pays the rent). Not collect benefits until the government sorts out an acceptable job for you...

 

[Andrew Prince]

So these youngsters, will they be able to afford to pay our pension when we retire?

No chance
IMHO pension schemes unchanged will fail around Europe and then the US in the next xx years - it's fatally flawed in its current guise. The pension scheme concept (which is a pseudo Ponzi scheme ) only works when you have more people contributing than taking out - because the contributors only give say 10-20% of their salary, while the pensioners hope for 50-70% of their old salary. Increased longevity adds to the pension burden - people need to retire later just for starters. Cue declining birthrates in the Developed world and where do we get our future pension contributors from?

In the Developing world, there is much less structure around jobs and "jobs for life" where people work for one company and thus build a decent pension pot as was the case for the baby-boomers in the West. With more people turning to informal, self-employed and entrepeneurial jobs, they are much less likely to put money aside for a pension pot for themselves, yet alone pay into the bigger pension funds that desperately need the cash inflow to meet their obligations to existing pensioners. Hard to see a way out But that may just be me

 

[Chas]

I wonder how many of those people on "jobseeker's" allowance would be willing to do unskilled labour? Or temporary jobs? We seem to have plenty of migrants that come to the UK to work, yet have an unemployment problem. I was brought up that if times get tough, you do what you need to do (wash cars, pick veggies, stack shelves, whatever pays the rent). Not collect benefits until the government sorts out an acceptable job for you...

Amen to that, years ago when I was out of work I sold paraffin (remember that stuff?) from the back of a lorry, and more recently when the Royal Opera House closed for redevelopment I got a job collecting and delivering cars for an upmarket used car dealer (I got to drive some lovely cars) plus finding theatrical jobs in a lot of West End theatres, I have NEVER drawn benefit. The work is usually there if you only get off your ar*e and look for it.
Plus I made sure I put plenty away for when I retired, I now have an income as great as that when I worked

 

[Rob]

I know people that have finished uni with a non vocational degrees and have been looking for relevant work for almost a year. On the other-hand other friends that look for whatever job they can usually find one within a few weeks. If it was not possible to live long term on benefits if you are fit to work there would be a lot more people working. Simples.

 

[Sam]

My 2p... there's a simple paradox here when so many jobs are being axed at the same time the government are forcing more people off of benefits into the "job seeking" market place. It's simple maths. Whatever your political standpoint... it cant add up.

 

[Crispin]

The current company I am at is desperate for young programmers. The calibre of people coming through the door is appalling. Slack, late, tardy, slouch in the chair, just plain bored by the interview etc etc etc. I find it quite interesting that there is a small company willing to take on 3 junior (read: fresh from uni / college / other) with a bit of vomma and a decent wage and they could not be interested.

With interviews I have done in the past for roles (I normally have to interview my replacement ) I am always surprised by the cr@p that arrives in front of me and these are intermediate to "senior" programmers and DBAs.

This is not only at the current role but every role I have had for the last 5 years has been like this.

So when it's banded about that jobs are scarce for the young'nes bla bla sorry, but they're not. The ones doing the whining are the ones who are not able to get jobs because they're to slack. Simple as that.
Bloody hell, my first interview after I left school I was a nervous wreck.
Shoes polished: Check.
Shirt tucked in: Check.
Shaved bum fluff off chin: Check.
Hair sorted: Check
Some of the interviewees I see are an embarrassment.

Like a lot of people, if you wanted to work and had a bit of pride, you will find a job and proud means by which to feed yourself. A bit of humble pie goes a long way.

Bunch of whiners the lot of them.

/rant.
Goes off to find blood pressure tablets

 

[Sam]

Over the years I've always tried to recruit off of the dole queue wherever I could for the less skilled jobs... It's simply where I've found the most eager people (after a few time wasters of course).

As for skilled I make you right. I was lucky with the last developer/programmer I took on. After seeing 10 or so "qualified and experienced" muppets, I finally found a fella approaching 50 who arrived in a three piece suit (not suite), bow tie, clean shoes, a 30 year history and a love affair with the word "pragmatic". Hired!

I've found in my business, that it's the people without the classic "qualifications" that have always performed the best. Those who love what they do and taught themselves the "hard" way. That's qualified to me. Nothing like experience and a bit of hunger. You can keep your text book regurgitating world-on-a-plate whipper-snappers... bring me the hacker!

But that's a different topic. Yes there's whiners and wingers, but at the end of the day, less jobs + more people looking is gonna end up somewhere sticky! Let's all just be happy we're not in Spain.... 50%

 

[goodoldboy]

A politician shares out a packet of biscuits with a banker ,a man on minimum wage and an unemployed man.The banker gets all the biscuits except one witch the politician breaks in half.Giving half to the man on minimum wage , he whispers in his ear "the dole scrounger stole half your biscuit"
It never ceases to amaze me the envy and resentment shown to the most unfortunate in our society by the better off(check out the latest posts on the lounge looking for advice on buying a porsche & renting a holiday cottage) The feckless and lazy are present in all parts of society - I could tell enough "bad egg" stories from my experience working in publishing & the music industry to fill a book - behaviour that would get the average benefit claimant a public flogging.Moving into the forestry industry did not improve my opinion - low wages ,explotation ,lack of safety ect.
Whilst hatred & resentment is whipped up against the unemployed those that are responsible for the mess we are in get off scot-free - time to wake up!

 

[Crushers]

when i am hiring a new employee, i want common sense, a willingness to work, no BS, no exaggeration and i do not care if you come papered or not ...
your actions will determine if you get the job, not a piece of paper that says your smart.

this being said, over the years i have hired an ex-drug dealer, a high school drop out, a kid that couldn't get along with others and all of them worked out great. they went on to have families and higher paying jobs with a fantastic future ahead of them.

it is the person you are hiring, not the history. sometimes all they need is a decent break and someone to tell them they are full of crap when they are.

i have also met some with the proper paperwork that i might have hired.

i have met lots that are a waste of flesh expecting the world to serve them.

Over the years I've always tried to recruit off of the dole queue wherever I could for the less skilled jobs... It's simply where I've found the most eager people (after a few time wasters of course).

As for skilled I make you right. I was lucky with the last developer/programmer I took on. After seeing 10 or so "qualified and experienced" muppets, I finally found a fella approaching 50 who arrived in a three piece suit (not suite), bow tie, clean shoes, a 30 year history and a love affair with the word "pragmatic". Hired!

I've found in my business, that it's the people without the classic "qualifications" that have always performed the best. Those who love what they do and taught themselves the "hard" way. That's qualified to me. Nothing like experience and a bit of hunger. You can keep your text book regurgitating world-on-a-plate whipper-snappers... bring me the hacker!

But that's a different topic. Yes there's whiners and wingers, but at the end of the day, less jobs + more people looking is gonna end up somewhere sticky! Let's all just be happy we're not in Spain.... 50%

 

[Sam]

Throw into the mix the great new idea to have companies like Tesco hiring people... for FREE! That's NO wages!

Like always though, nothing is as simple as it seems. It's clearly a complex issue. Though the best Daily Mail reader argument I've heard to date is that it get's the scroungers out of the house and into the routine of doing something with their day...

Hmmm... at the expense of taking a real job away from someone else?

Didn't we take a giant step in the right direction in this great Isle with something called the "Minimum Wage"?

Shutting up now... not sure this is the place for politics.... pub?

 

[Bat21]

I've been saying it for many years.... advances in technology mean less people are needed to do 'jobs'.

Couple that with population growth and voila..... You have ever increasing unemployment numbers.

We need another world war to cull the numbers

 

[wobbly]

My 2p worth....

My lad is 17, he is in the 2nd year at college, doing a level 3 NVQ (equiv to 3 A levels) in Motorsport Engineering, this leads on to 3 year Foundation degree. The course is full time 3 days a week, this leaves him 3 days to work and Sundays off.

He has spoken to maybe 30 local garages for work alongside his college (normal garage work, nothing glamorous), no-one is interested - if you're not already qualified they dont want you, they just arent interested in contributing to anyone's training.

Yet what do I hear 'there arent people with the qualifications' ! So how do you get them, if companies wont take you on...to put this into perspective, I have told him to offer to work for £25.00 a day, and I will pay him £25.00 to top his money up.

He is currently working for one of my mates cleaning garden machinery two days a week, completely disheartened but accepting.

The work experience, possibly leading to a job?, only applies to those on jobseekers, my lad cant even get on a scheme where you work for free because he is trying to get a proper qualification.

F*****g s***e country.

Think we'll go to Aus. and live with Ben.

Pete

 

[Gary Stockton]

Oz is not a lot better - if you're not a pukka Ozzy you're put at the back of the long queue for work. It's nit all 'sunny skies and Chevrolet' to quote an old advert some of you will know. Clearly a sweeping statement - a lot of ifs and buts - location plays a big part, so if you're happy to not live in the bright lights of the east coast you're ok, and if you have skills that are in demand you're usually OK. And if you've enough cash to set up your own business you're ok. But if you don't fit into those groups, life can be tough.

And don't get me started on South Africa

The comment about vocational training has held true for a long time now - where did all the tax breaks for companies offering apprenticeships go? What happened to all the technical colleges and trade schools? Legislated out of existence?? Or is it easier for people to sit back, breed and let the nanny-state tax a dwindling pool of tax-payers more and more heavily to support the 'won't works' while allowing lots of companies all sorts of allowances and timing differences to pay almost 0% tax? - note the 'can't works' are excluded.

Devolution of the NHS? What a good idea - make the swines work properly and be accountable, not just cash-cows for the hangers-on! And make the stupids pay for treatment where the cause is self-inflicted through alcohol, drugs, etc. Why should I pay for others being fools??

I have a problem with people in government who do not have the skills (economic and financial) for the positions they hold. And some single-minded dolts that are clearly only interested in fleecing the system. And this is party-agnostic - it applies to them all.

As for Scottish Independence - if the Labour-living typical Scot thinks things are bad now, wait till they swap Westminster and Sterling for Brussels (or is it really Bonn??) and the decrepit Euro. That will be a big wake-up call!

My jaded tuppence (Sterling)'s worth I'll be better after my next fix and nip ... while waiting for that nice health-visitor to bath me and that other nice lady to bring my dinner ...

 

[TonyP]

Not going to comment on all the political causes for the mess we are in, but as an example I tried to find any local collages/training schools that held evening classes in welding. Failed miserably. Was looking for a 6 weeks (in fact any course) and no luck. I think that the vocational side of training has been so dwindled down that it will and has started hurting this country’s ability to manufacture anything.

We are unfortunately being pushed forwards a services country (banking, IT, call centres etc).... and that is a doomed path as we are now competing with low cost locations.. aka India, China, Malaysia etc

For many years I have been asking what underpins this country’s economy as it is no longer mining, manufacturing, farming.... so what is it? (That’s rhetorical BTW)

Tough times ahead... for sure!

 

[Gary Stockton]

Tony - same here re welding and basic diesel maccie - nada in the Midlothian area except a full-time one during the day at Stevenson college :-(

 

[Crushers]

(i read this with an english accent in me head and laughed, i felt i was sitting in an english pub evesdropping in the conversation ... thanks)

seriously, i really do not understand it either. it is as if the governments just don't give a rat's butt about the people and their happiness. they would rather invest billions into "green" energy than invest in the health and smarts of the people. it seems they would rather pay poggy to an unemployed individual than create a real job where the bloke can have some pride at the end of the day
and
from what i have seen, it is world over, not just in the Queen's lands ...

Oz is not a lot better - if you're not a pukka Ozzy you're put at the back of the long queue for work. It's nit all 'sunny skies and Chevrolet' to quote an old advert some of you will know. Clearly a sweeping statement - a lot of ifs and buts - location plays a big part, so if you're happy to not live in the bright lights of the east coast you're ok, and if you have skills that are in demand you're usually OK. And if you've enough cash to set up your own business you're ok. But if you don't fit into those groups, life can be tough.

And don't get me started on South Africa

The comment about vocational training has held true for a long time now - where did all the tax breaks for companies offering apprenticeships go? What happened to all the technical colleges and trade schools? Legislated out of existence?? Or is it easier for people to sit back, breed and let the nanny-state tax a dwindling pool of tax-payers more and more heavily to support the 'won't works' while allowing lots of companies all sorts of allowances and timing differences to pay almost 0% tax? - note the 'can't works' are excluded.

Devolution of the NHS? What a good idea - make the swines work properly and be accountable, not just cash-cows for the hangers-on! And make the stupids pay for treatment where the cause is self-inflicted through alcohol, drugs, etc. Why should I pay for others being fools??

I have a problem with people in government who do not have the skills (economic and financial) for the positions they hold. And some single-minded dolts that are clearly only interested in fleecing the system. And this is party-agnostic - it applies to them all.

As for Scottish Independence - if the Labour-living typical Scot thinks things are bad now, wait till they swap Westminster and Sterling for Brussels (or is it really Bonn??) and the decrepit Euro. That will be a big wake-up call!

My jaded tuppence (Sterling)'s worth I'll be better after my next fix and nip ... while waiting for that nice health-visitor to bath me and that other nice lady to bring my dinner ...

 

[Gary Stockton]

If you used an English accent whilst reading mine, that's even funnier! I'm in Scotland, but am from Zimbabwe (via South Africa) so don't sound 'English' at all - nor do quite a few of the guys here .

In fact, I don't think there is a 'definitive' English accent

/off-topic

 

[Graham]

And don't get me started on South Africa

#
.
This part really made me laugh.

Getting a job on RSA with a white skin now,,,,,well forget it, your doomed.

With all the BE, it is nigh on impossible.

Gra.

 

[Derek J]

Please do not post anything disheartening about OZ.

The only thing that keeps me going at times is the daydream of starting again in OZ like Ben.
In fact I may assume his identity and head down myself.