Junk
Grapplin
In all the debate about jubilee stewards sleeping under bridges, one big fact is being overlooked Britain's army of unpaid labour is growing bigger each month
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/08/jubilee-stewards-unpaid-labour-growing
Workfare scheme must end now guardian.co.uk, Friday 6 July 2012 20.59 BST
The government's research has shown mandatory work activity does not help people get a job and that A4e, its flagship "welfare to work" company, has not met even the minimum target for finding work (just 3.5% of its "clients" have found long-term jobs). Yet such companies call for more punishments and for benefits to be stopped more often. The jubilee celebrations saw the scandal of unemployed people made to sleep under a bridge and work in terrible conditions, without pay. It is time to end the real "something for nothing" culture: this means ending the £5bn workfare schemes which subsidise a free workforce for multi-million pound companies and charities. Workfare does not create a single job. Indeed, we have seen it replace paid work. It's time to start helping people seeking work rather than punishing them. We support the 7-14 July week of action against workfare and call on all organisations to challenge forced unpaid work by boycotting workfare.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/06/workfare-scheme-must-end?newsfeed=true
Holland & Barrett pulls out of jobseekers' scheme
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/06/holland-and-barrett-jobseekers-scheme
FactCheck Is The WP Worse Than Nothing?
http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-is-the-work-programme-worse-than-nothing/10915
Joblessness soars in over-50s
The UK is lagging behind countries of similar wealth in getting people over the age of 50 into work – and the recession is widening the gap between nations, a major report warns.
If we could match the employment rates of the top five performing countries, 1.5 million people aged between 50 and 64 would be in employment.
However, joblessness among older people in the UK has soared by 53% since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, according to a study by the Resolution Foundation. The UK has fallen from 10th to 15th out of 34 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The proportion of older jobless people who remain without work for more than a year has risen from 33.2% to 44.5%, in contrast to "comparable economies which saw stronger growth in older employment rates over the same period, such as Canada, Germany and Australia", the report found.
The study, Unfinished Business: Barriers and Opportunities for Older Workers, said: "The result has been a fall in the relative position of the UK in terms of older employment rates since 2008. This suggests that older employment has been more affected in the UK than elsewhere in the downturn." Older women face particular barriers, with only 60% of older women in work compared with 72% of older men.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/aug/12/unemployment-among-older-workers-soars
Grapplin
Government support for people who lose their jobs is provided mainly through the Jobcentre Plus network. Staff can now refer active jobseekers to the Work Programme, which provides more tailored support than under previous regimes. It makes use of the expertise of providers from outside the Department, who are contracted to provide back-to-work services. Ministers are aware that in a small proportion of cases, this process has not worked as well as they would have expected. However, overall they believe that the expertise provided by these outside providers will be useful in helping people to get back into work.
http://zeeblebum.tumblr.com/post/30048540085/dwp-strikes-back
Grapplin
Grapplin
