It is all very well pushing benefit dependents into work but are there any jobs to be had?

At a conference today organised by Reform, the think tank, this question was asked. Perhaps surprisingly I came across two people in the audience at the front end of job search who said 'yes'.

One was from the Prince's Trust. He said that some of the jobs were low end and the people who said they wanted to work were not willing to take on such jobs. He said there were plenty of vacancies that were advertised but not filled. He also said that the Prince's Trust helps 2,500 young people each year start businesses of their own. What sort of work did they do, I asked. He said services such as decorating and building.

A second person works in a poor part of London and said that the evidence that there is work to be had came from statistics showing the large proportion of young people who were working for cash in hand.

Meanwhile one of the panellists involved in getting people into jobs said that some people refuse to take jobs such as being a low-paid intern.

I don't suggest that these brief conversations and remarks prove anything. I was just interested, when so many people on the Left say that there are no jobs around, that a few, at least, of those involved in job search maintained that it was not true.

Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in Welfare benefits

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