General Chat

From the beginning of next year, the unemployed will have to look for work through the Coalition's new Universal Jobmatch website or potentially risk losing their benefits.

The website will scan the CVs of benefit claimants and automatically match them up with job openings that suit their skills.

It will also allow employers to search for new workers among the unemployed and send messages inviting them to interviews.

However, the activities of benefit claimants can also be tracked using devices known as "cookies", so their Job Centre advisers can know how many searches they have been doing, suggest potential jobs and see whether they are turning down viable opportunities.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said the scheme would "revolutionise" the process of looking for work.


The tracking element of the programme will not be compulsory as monitoring people's behaviour online without their consent would not be allowed under EU law.

But job advisers are able to impose sanctions such as compulsory work placements or ultimately losing benefits if they feel the unemployed are not searching hard enough.

Mr Duncan Smith said: “If you choose not to take a job that matches you, then the adviser will look at your reasons, and if the adviser thinks ‘actually, these are pretty specious reasons’, he may call you in and say ‘I think you really need to be applying for these jobs’.”

He said the website will mean Job Centre advisers are able to target their help at jobseekers with problems, while letting capable candidates get on with their searches.

"For the very small percentage that have a real problem - maybe they have absolutely no skills - we want them in front of the adviser," he said.

"And if they're just not playing ball, they will be in front of the adviser. These are little trip wires, if we think they're not applying for it. There are lots of things the adviser can do.”

The Work and Pensions Secretary said jobseekers can be hauled in every day if advisers "think they're not up to the activity” they are meant to be doing.

“We have some interesting programmes like mandatory work activity if the [advisers] think they're having trouble getting out of bed, if they're not playing the game.”

Around 690,000 people have signed up to it so far, with more than half giving their Government job adviser access to their profile and activities.

The website has already signed up 370,000 employers and jobseekers are conducting about five million searches a day.

Mr Duncan Smith also confirmed his department is looking at introducing a ‘welfare card’, instead of some benefits, for drug addicts. This could only be used to purchase certain items, such as food and other essentials, stopping them from spending their benefits on drugs.

“I’ve been looking at this process to figure out whether it’s feasible, how would it work, how does it match with legal obligations, so we’ve already been examining this," he told the BBC's World at One. "There’s nothing at the moment on plans, but I genuinely think there are some areas where we might want to think about.

“You know, somebody who has a history of real drug addiction, giving people cash sometimes can actually lead to further problems.”

Hm.

All well and good as long as

- the claimant has ready access to the internet
- the employers with vacancies advertise them on the site

Many people currently out of work are highly qualified in specialist fields, and won't find a suitable job on the site. Because of their experience and qualification, they are unlikely to invited to interview for a job requiring fewer qualifications.

All very well if you have access to a computer.........

The plus side, may be that ministers in their ivory towers in cloud cuckoo laand may notice the lack of jobs - hence the high unemployment figures!!!

I wonder to, if it will expose the many fake agencies that have been set up (with our money), that promise jobs, but haven't got any.
When he was unemployed, a friend of mine who had been an agency worker all his life, (he is a carpenter) was, on more than one occasion directed to one of these agencies, that, apparently had work, only to phone up, and find the job gone. He asked where the job was, only to find the 'building site' didn't exist and realised what they were.

After confirming your identity at the JobCentre the next question they ask is for your email addy.

The staff at the Jobcentres do not like it when they can not check your profile etc.

Am I to understand that the Gov are going to put peoples CV's on the internet? Won't that be a problem with ID theft?

They ask for your email to check you out? That's a new one to me :-(

I agree with drug users receiving vouchers rather than cash, but then I am miffed that drug users get ESA almost at will whilst genuinely disabled have a fight on their hands.

Wouldn't only genuine job seekers sign up to the scheme? Those that play the system would avoid it like the plague.

Re the agencies that receive government funding to find jobs in order to reduce the overall numbers of unemployed. I understand there are two types.

1. They don't do anything for the money except produce copiuos amounts of nonsensical reports.
2. They use bully boy tactics to try and place as many applicants in jobs whether the applicant and vacancy match and do not take into account the applicant's skills and qualifications.

There are some exeptional local agencies that do help but many of these seem to be charitable enterprises.

I wish I had a magic wand :-(

Edit: I think the CVs will only be available to companies who sign up to search the available applicants who have registered. Otherwise you would be right!

Loads of things need sorting out

The description of the type of work you are looking for really does not match your skills. You have to select them and add the best you can.

If you look at a job then you are supposed to click on an option for why you did not apply for that position. Some job descriptions do not really match what you expect for that position so that causes problem as to which reason you have to click on.

Adding your CV you have to think very carefully what you call it otherwise it will be missed by potential employers. Some people are adding their CV 3 or 4 times to cover all bases.

So yes Big Brother is starting to watch your every move.

It all sounds like a load of govenment waffle to me :-(

I happen to live in an un-employment black spot , even the agencies left here years ago :-(

If Mr Duncan Smith does go ahead with the " welfare card " idea for the drug addicts I hope he is also going to be fitting all the job centres with safety barriers for the staff to work behind , my brother has worked in the job centre for many years , they really are on the " front line " :-( Crime will go through the roof .

When I applied for uemployment benefit, about 10 years ago - I'd been made redundant, and after a week decided I may as well try for it.
I had the 'interview', then the woman decided I needed some 're-training'. 'What in?' I asked her.
'Well, what about your educaton?' she asked, 'Would you like to go on a literacy course?'
'Not particularly', I replied.
Her: 'If you refuse courses, you'll lose money'.
Me: 'Could you at least look at my CV before you decide what training I need? It may help you'.
Her: 'Oh'.
Me: 'I'm willing to go on any course that may be of help. Apart from what's on the CV, I've also been a fishwife, ag lab, and cleaner'.

What did my CV say? - Learnng support Assistant, Degree, Admin.

She neither offered me a job, nor any training.
The next week (through a friend) I got a job running my own department, that consisted of.........me :-D

This is probably a genuine attempt at sorting out those who refuse work but the reality is that it will cost more money than it saves and it will fail overall,

The bone idle will find ways around the system as they have done in the past, The genuine unemployed who want to work will be forced to take jobs that are unsuitable for them and so will end up back in the system looking for work again whilst they suffer even more hardship and the drug addicts will simply sell the welfare card or exchange the goods for drugs plus it will also have a negative effect on crime, The mandatory work activity will end up being free or very cheap labour for companies making massive profits for their share holders

Roy

My daughter's best friend's mother went for an interview at Job Center, not to impressed, told them so, ended up with a job there.

Carol ;-)

lolol Job Centre plus wanted me, passed both exams and the interview. I was sent to their OT department in Cardiff to be assessed for adaptions so DWP complied with DDA .

Apparently the building couldn't accommodate my lack of mobility especially when it came to the loo arrangements so they quiety dropped my application.

Smashing example to employers resistant to engage the best qualified applicants.

DWP threw out the Access to Work scheme which they are supposed to promote!