The BBC Reports:
Any rise in unemployment is a “tragedy,” the prime minister said as the jobless total neared 2.5 million.
At Commons question time on 16 June 2010, David Cameron insisted the latest unemployment figures were a “mixed picture”.
He said: “On the one hand, the claimant count is down. On the other hand though, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) measure of unemployment is up by 23,000.”
The government will bring in a work programme, which is “going to be the biggest, boldest scheme for getting people back to work, as soon as we can”, he pledged.
But acting Labour leader Harriet Harman accused him of “talking the economy down to soften the public up” for cuts in next week’s Budget.
Demanding assurances that the government would do nothing to add to the dole queue in its tax and spend package, Ms Harman warned that ministers were “undermining business confidence”.
But Mr Cameron dismissed the charge, insisting Labour should apologise for having done the economy down
(from Here)
Indeed the figures indicate that the JSA claimant figure is down.
Office for National Statistics data revealed the number of people looking for work rose by 53,000 between January and March to hit 2.51m, the highest total since 1994. The UK’s employment rate slumped to 72%, the lowest since 1996.Yet despite the worsening picture for overall unemployment, the numbers claiming the jobseeker’s allowance fell by more than expected – down by 27,100 last month to 1.52m, the lowest level for a year. (More Here)
Readers of this site know full well the explanation for the fact that while unemployment figures are rising those counted (and eligible) for JSA are decreasing.
Let’s start with the Flexible New Deal….
… which is forcing claimants of the JSA. But that whole point of these abhorrent schemes. People would rather pick shit with the hens, go live on a dump, commit suicide than face a continual onslaught of bullying and harassment. Its an outrage sheer misery that is being heaped upon the most vulnerable members of society.
Comment by Pete — June 17, 2010 @ 11:17 am
Problem signing off. Signed off today, I think. The ES40 signing on booklet(sect 1-4 optional) states: “You do not have to provide the information we ask for in Parts 1-4 below. But any information you give us will help us to assess and improve the services we provide.” Seems clear enough. Signed the declaration and dated last day of claim. Was told I must fill in 1-4 or I will not receive my final payment. Asked for an explanation to the contradiction between what it says on the book and what they were saying. No explanation was given except the threat “you need to fill it in or you will not get paid”. I read what it says on the book to them and was still refused an explanation only another threat of no payment. I said “theirs no need to threaten me with non-payment, Im only asking for an expalnation”. The security guard was now over asking what was going on and making his presence known. I Couldn’t beleve it. Told me I won’t get paid and ignoring me, served another man. The book was in thier possession. I decided to write down their names and jobtitles and the security guard said “Mate. Your not allowed to fill in paperwork in here, go outside”. I ignored this nonsense and got full names and jobtitles and went to see my local MP (first thing I could think to do). I have no idea what will happen now. Am I legaly signed off? Anyone experienced what happens next? Awaiting news from MP and maybey get a letter from DWP/JSA. Will report outcome. The jobcenter had no part in getting me off benefits, my thanks go to the taxpayers of this country who hopefully never need to experience what its like.
Comment by John — September 1, 2010 @ 1:04 am
Wow. Most folk will just fill that in without thinking twice, kind of like the data protection act waiver, didn’t realise that they called a *customer care officer* over (security guard to you an me) if you refused. I’m gob smacked!
Comment by Tom Cruise — September 1, 2010 @ 8:27 am
John, they do this as they assume everyone signing off have found a job.
Without this information not only does it not look for their statistics (which I think they assume when someone signs off its a job anyway) but the Welfare-2-Work providers cannot be kept in the loop. They then worry about the likes of A4e and TNG suing DWP/JCP for defrauding their outcome payments by keeping quiet about them.
I have previously had problems with the ES40. Went to hand it in – didn’t fill in the optional booklet sections… the response was the same…. however, she hunted for the same colour pen as I had used, from around the office and just wrote something in there. To this day I am still unsure of it and I obviously had to sign the disclaimer… to get the final payment. I guess whatever she wrote in was assumed to be either written by me or accepted by me; with the presumption I signed after it was wrote in. Of course, I dated it… but these sections aren’t.
Comment by Flexible New Deal — September 1, 2010 @ 9:02 am
What a bunch of clowns, as if someone signing-off could care less if A4e/TNG get their outcome payment.
Anyway, they have to pay you up to your last signing day anyway, so if this final payment only represents a few days money I’d be tempted to let it go. Could cost A4e/TNG £thousands though lol
Comment by Tom Cruise — September 1, 2010 @ 9:19 am
Update: MP spoke with the jobcentre and was told you do not have to fill in the ES40 information and it is optional. Went to speak with Jobcentre and they still made out they were right and I was reading it wrong. I was told “people interpret what it says differently”. Got me to sign another ES40 then put details in the boxes without my consent. Couldn’t tell me if I would get paid or not. Days later I got my final payment in full.
Comment by John — September 18, 2010 @ 6:50 pm
They are just tweaking the Stats.
It doesn’t matter, if it werent written in the ES40… it would have just been dealt with by someone higher up moving a few figures around on the database system.
Comment by Flexible New Deal — September 18, 2010 @ 7:50 pm
I signed off recently.
It advises you to fill in the booklet inside your ES40 signing on booklet (sect 1-4 optional) and either post it or hand it in to the jobcentre.
That simple huh? You know how much Jobcentre Plus messes you about when you are trying to claim… they didn’t want me to stop claiming it seemed (although they had always advised that “if [I] don’t like it, [I] should sign off”) trying to get me to fill in a completely different form and be surprised when I tell them that I am not willing to do so and waste my time, I am just handing this in with a signed declaration to sign off.
They wont give you a receipt or acknowledgement that they had got the form – so I had photocopied it in advance although doesn’t prove I had submited it.
Comment by Flexible New Deal — June 17, 2010 @ 11:37 am
Easiest way to sign-off is just not to set foot in the job centre again…. your P45 will be in the post
Comment by Pete — June 17, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
Nice one. Generally speaking thats a good option however could land certain unlucky people branded as “benefit fraudsters” if the Jobcentre took a while to terminate the claim when doing activities not allowed on JSA (i.e. working or not being AfW/ASE).
Comment by Flexible New Deal — June 17, 2010 @ 4:50 pm
The P45 gives the date that you left your last job (left the dole). If you are starting work you can just fill in a P46 instead. You have to select on of these though:
Your present circumstances
Read all the following statements carefully and enter ‘X’
in the one box that applies to you.
A – This is my first job since last 6 April and
I have not been receiving taxable Jobseeker’s
Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance
or taxable Incapacity Benefit or a state or
occupational pension.
OR
B – This is now my only job, but since last 6 April
I have had another job, or have received
taxable Jobseeker’s Allowance,
Employment and Support Allowance or
taxable Incapacity Benefit. I do not receive
a state or occupational pension.
OR
C – I have another job or receive a state or
occupational pension.
Comment by Pete — June 17, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
Hi Pete
My point was…
(as an example)
If a person has an intention of leaving the dole was on the 3rd of May, to start either working on the 6th of May or not meeting the conditional criteria of JSA on that date, if Jobcentre Plus doesn’t terminate the claim until the 14th May… this person is a “benefit fraudster”.
It isn’t down to Jobcentre Plus – as it would be the persons fault for not reporting a Change of Circumstances or mroe to the point – signing off.
This means if you sign back on again prepare for a 6 month sanction for benefit fraud (in return for a few days money).
Comment by Flexible New Deal — June 17, 2010 @ 5:20 pm
Hi Flexy See your point. Like in your example if you were to just wash your hands of the job centre certain rather than spend a week filling in their mountain of paper work it would be possible to still have a “live” claim at the job centre long affter you had received your final payment and were “otherwise engaged”. You’d have to have some good answers were you to walk through their hallowed doors again
Comment by Pete — June 17, 2010 @ 8:52 pm
Have you got a job?
Comment by Funny A4e Photos — June 17, 2010 @ 10:01 pm
From the ES40 booklet: “You do not have to provide the information we ask for in Parts 1-4. But any information you give us will help us to assess and improve lol the services we provide”. They also ask if you have found a job, that’s so that they can claim “point”s and make their stats look good.
When you sign-off that’s a time when you can afford to get stroppy with the jc – what they going to do? sanction you? lol, but just not too stroppy mind, you neve know when you’ll have to go grovelling back, unless you win a few million on the lottery, and even then…
Comment by Pete — June 17, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
Yeah, I will be back (sadly enough) so I went easy on them but I did criticise their services a slight bit (*cough*).
They decided to fill in the reason box themselves and what the person wrote wasn’t even what I had told her!!
The problem is: as the form is Left to Right with declaration at the end, it appears that I have signed to agree to that mentioned in either sections 1-4 (Although not my handwriting).
Well, I guess I was expecting too much for a JCP staff member to even recall the last few words I had spoken in what was a rather long conversation (in infringement to the typical 5 minute maximum talking rule) although not complex (I had avoided 4 letter offensive words incase anyone wondered! lol)… if in doubt, make it up!
Why can’t they listen? There is a reason why you have two ears and just one mouth.
To a similar concept (in this scenario) there is a reason why you have two ears and just one pen in one hand to write… yeah: “lets just mess with the statistics. I am under paid, overworked… It isn’t my fault so many people are signing on. I am doing my best trying to quickly solve problems that arise on my feet, and after all no one will know I fixed the statistics because everyone is doing it and have gotten away with it”
Comment by Flexible New Deal — June 17, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
lol
She probably filled it along the lines of
Client leaving JSA…. to start full-time work
Client located vacancy …. at Jobcentre lol
Client sourced vacancy via…. Jobpoint lol
Client submitted to vacancy by…. Jobcentre Adviser lol
Comment by Pete — June 17, 2010 @ 5:23 pm
Joking aside… it wouldnt surprise me.
Comment by Flexible New Deal — June 17, 2010 @ 5:40 pm
“Easiest way to sign-off is just not to set foot in the job centre again”
this is the whole misguided idea,harassing people for their entitlements’, branding the jobless as they have continued to do for the past 30 years’ without reason and propagating tabloid opinion also,until it effects them.
these programs have been going since the early days of the conservative government of 1979 in the form of the then yts (youth training scheme) paying the famous the then famous £23.50 a week,sadly unemployment has continued and been a major thorn in the sides of governments’ over this time and has been described as many things during this time the most infamous by norman lamont.
“going to be the biggest, boldest scheme for getting people back to work, as soon as we can”,
while this means nothing more then workfare,its sadly empty words tin the battle to find real employment,the divisions in society are the greatest since records began this is a result of the loss of industries and manufacturing devastating work opportunities for many in those sectors’,this was sadly sold out and is lost forever,this was called at the time “selling the family silver”.
it has to be agreed that labour should have apologised for propagating economic disaster,gordon brown was never fit to be pm and once the policies started to unravel it was a locomotive out of control with the effects of business failures accelerating also economic mess was assured,no spin will cover up the facts’.shoving hordes of unemployed will help no one generate no taxes a sticking plaster that wont stick on underlying problems only to mask the true figures of failure.
Comment by ken — June 18, 2010 @ 11:39 am
Exactly Ken, that is what benefit payments are – our entitlements, nothing to be ashamed of, the DWP is not a charity. If we were depending on charitable donations we would be going without.
Comment by Raw Deal — June 18, 2010 @ 11:47 am
Re signing off by the booklet.
Tried this recently at Ipswich. Was told by the front desk. ‘We no longer take these and to use the phone number or phone in jobcentre to sign off’. It took me 45 minutes to sort out.
Comment by Philip — September 1, 2010 @ 10:48 am