It is so easy to get a job!

Luke had to do a course two days ago at a centre not far from where he signs on each week.

I asked him about it when he got home and he said it was a waste of time and it felt like he was been given a lecture,so much so that a lad he knew from school who was also there got up and said a few choice words and walked out

Apparently it's very easy to get a job, and they should all be in employment,I did say to Luke well what planet has he dropped off

Luke is trying to get a job,with little help and support from these people,I have told him to tell them that getting a job is made even more difficult by the lack of public transport where we live and he even asked about help with driving lessons etc which he would pay back but the only answer he got was a firm no

He has applied for job after job,been for interviews and still he can't get anything and to make him feel any worse there was a piece on the front of our Local paper yesterday about a girl who is 17,left school last summer she has 14 GCSE's all from grades A-C and she can't get anything either,she is saying this generation is the lost generation and I think she might be right.

It's so so hard for young adults now

We're lucky, where I live, it's still pretty easy to get a job. We didn't get hit all that hard by the recession. Alberta is still booming, compared to alot of places, and Canada on the whole. fared well in the world wide crisis... Thank goodness! My job is dependent on homes being built and renovated, which means, in order for me to have a job, other people need to have money.

It sounds like Luke has his work cut out for him... good luck with the job search!

It must be really disheartening to be on the receiving end of the carefully constructed `all the jobless are scroungers and workshy` story. It`s on a par with the `disabled people are all putting it on` one. Happily, those of us who live in a world where jobs are gold dust understand.

I think its disgraceful that whenever they apply for jobs sending off endless applications (except civil service & NHS) that no one bothers to acknowledge them. I know someone who gave up applying - now successful working for very well known cosmetic mail order form door to door. Luckily it suits them. V v hard for younsters or anyone out of work.

I'm in the same boat as Luke. It's why I didn't go to Uni - all those who had degrees etc - they were working in bars, I've found a job at a nightclub - but it's relief staff, so I've been on the books since Christmas but my first time working was last Monday, jobs are few and far between and half the people in our local jobcentre can't even do theirs right.

Tell Luke to keep his head up and keep on - he'll get there eventually.

I've been told different, in Oxford for every job offered on average apparently their are 300 applicants, job centres aren't the best place to look for a job though, I use to have to deal with a personal advisor for 'new deal' who could hardly speak english, I wouldn't mind, but this is the guy whose meant to be helping me look for a job, and who most the time I had to remind him that he hadn't signed me on the system that week, and tell him when I was starting different courses as he forgot, I also had to make sure that he got all the paperwork done, fornatly A4E knew about him, and I got lucky that all was sorted out before I left as otherwise I would of lost money, sometimes I really think I could do a better job then some of the people that were meant to help me!!

I think its disgraceful that whenever they apply for jobs sending off endless applications (except civil service & NHS) that no one bothers to acknowledge them

So say, if as above, there were 300 applications for every job you advertised, in order for each applicant to receive a reply the following would need to be provided:

300 envelopes
300 sheets of A4 paper
300 stamps
Plus the time for typing the letter/letters, photocopying, stuffing the enveloping, franking or attaching stamps to envelopes and, if not franked, time to get them posted.

In the current climate of austerity, is this money well spent? this money could be better spent wages etc.

Seems around here what sort of job you are looking for it's still possible to find several part time cleaning/waiting type jobs which would be better than being on benefits but not everyone (not pointing at anyone here as I don't know you to judge) is willing to do it.

Don't think Luke is cut out to be a cleaner

He's ideally looking for catering work,failing that shop work,seems to be very few jobs around here in that......

I feel his frustration, and he shed a few tears the other night,he is so cheesed off with keep looking and getting nowhere

We changed to an online application system - every applicant gets an acknowledgement email; plus an email whether they are shortlisted or rejected.

All emails are automated, so as soon as someone has submitted their shortlist, the 'rejection' emails go out.

This was all set up so that we could provide a better service to applicants...