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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| The long search for work | The long search for work |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| By Ray Furlong BBC News | By Ray Furlong BBC News |
| "Customers" see if there's anything on offer at a Jobcentre Plus | "Customers" see if there's anything on offer at a Jobcentre Plus |
| With Britain in recession, the jobless total will keep rising⦠and there will be more business for job centres. Rechristened Jobcentre Plus six years ago, they've changed a lot - becoming less daunting, more user-friendly places. But are they any help? | With Britain in recession, the jobless total will keep rising⦠and there will be more business for job centres. Rechristened Jobcentre Plus six years ago, they've changed a lot - becoming less daunting, more user-friendly places. But are they any help? |
| The Selly Oak Jobcentre Plus, near Birmingham, is a good example of the new breed - purpose-built in 2007, it's open-plan and airy, with brightly-coloured sofas and computer terminals. | The Selly Oak Jobcentre Plus, near Birmingham, is a good example of the new breed - purpose-built in 2007, it's open-plan and airy, with brightly-coloured sofas and computer terminals. |
| An upbeat Jean Harborne has worked in job centres for 25 yearsUnemployed people coming here are called "customers". | |
| "I remember years ago there would be a queue of people waiting to see an advisor," says Jean Harborne, who has worked at job centres for 25 years and is the senior operations manager in Birmingham. | "I remember years ago there would be a queue of people waiting to see an advisor," says Jean Harborne, who has worked at job centres for 25 years and is the senior operations manager in Birmingham. |
| "Now they're greeted at the door by a floor manager and directed to the right type of person. We have a database of 400,000 vacancies nationwide that you can access at a Jobpoint terminal." | |
| As the downturn bites, Jean says more customers are turning up at job centres. But she insists she can help. | As the downturn bites, Jean says more customers are turning up at job centres. But she insists she can help. |
| "Just here today I noticed that we've got 25 banking vacancies in the north of the city, we've got two large hotels opening this spring creating vacancies, just over the road there's a large retail outlet opening with 60 vacancies. | "Just here today I noticed that we've got 25 banking vacancies in the north of the city, we've got two large hotels opening this spring creating vacancies, just over the road there's a large retail outlet opening with 60 vacancies. |
| Graham Helton of Job Centre Plus explains what can be done to get you back out into the workforce. | |
| "So it's a very mixed picture. There are still definitely jobs to have and people are finding work every day." | "So it's a very mixed picture. There are still definitely jobs to have and people are finding work every day." |
| That may be, but this week's figures showing 1.92m people unemployed tell their own story - and vacancies are at their lowest level since records began in 2001. | That may be, but this week's figures showing 1.92m people unemployed tell their own story - and vacancies are at their lowest level since records began in 2001. |
| Long-term unemployment is a particular problem. Leanne Jones works at Selly Oak as a personal advisor for what she calls "harder to help customers" - 18 to 24 year-olds who have been out of work for six months and people aged 25-plus jobless for 18 months or more. | Long-term unemployment is a particular problem. Leanne Jones works at Selly Oak as a personal advisor for what she calls "harder to help customers" - 18 to 24 year-olds who have been out of work for six months and people aged 25-plus jobless for 18 months or more. |
| "Today I've had IT specialists, construction workers, drivers, loads. There's not one particular sort of person at the moment. Some people have got more barriers to getting a job. | "Today I've had IT specialists, construction workers, drivers, loads. There's not one particular sort of person at the moment. Some people have got more barriers to getting a job. |
| "Some might live in a hostel, so their rent is high and they need to look at how much they'll earn before going into employment. Other people have got children and we need to do a better calculation to ensure they'll be better off working. Some are harder to help than others." | "Some might live in a hostel, so their rent is high and they need to look at how much they'll earn before going into employment. Other people have got children and we need to do a better calculation to ensure they'll be better off working. Some are harder to help than others." |
| So does the personal service and casual decor make a difference? Garry Orstin, a 47-year-old roofer, is unimpressed. | So does the personal service and casual decor make a difference? Garry Orstin, a 47-year-old roofer, is unimpressed. |
| It's depressing, very depressing... just coming here, looking at all these people Garry Orstin, a 47-year-old roofer class="" href="/1/hi/business/7842026.stm">How to cope with unemployment "It's depressing, very depressing. I've worked all my life. It's just coming here, looking at all these people. It's not a very nice place," he says. | |
| But another man disagrees: "Generally it's pretty good. The people in here are OK. It's just that they don't have the jobs that I need." | But another man disagrees: "Generally it's pretty good. The people in here are OK. It's just that they don't have the jobs that I need." |
| Actually Job Centre Plus only has around a third of all jobs on the market. But even if unemployed people are looking for jobs elsewhere, they still need to come here to claim benefits and sign on. | |
| One of these is Jay Acharya, who says he's now receiving in jobseekers' allowance every month pretty much the same amount of money he was paid, after tax, on a daily basis as head of training and development for building materials distributor BCG. | One of these is Jay Acharya, who says he's now receiving in jobseekers' allowance every month pretty much the same amount of money he was paid, after tax, on a daily basis as head of training and development for building materials distributor BCG. |
| Jay Acharya says job centres are "not much help" for professional peopleHe drives here every fortnight to sign on - and that's it. | |
| "They're not much help for what I would call professional people. A lot of the positions are for administrative jobs, labour-intensive jobs, but there are not many professional ones there - and when I go for less senior positions I'm told I'm overqualified." | "They're not much help for what I would call professional people. A lot of the positions are for administrative jobs, labour-intensive jobs, but there are not many professional ones there - and when I go for less senior positions I'm told I'm overqualified." |
| Jean Harborne argues she does have professional positions. "There were 900 vacancies today in the Birmingham and Solihull area, and 25% were executive and professional posts," she says. "There may be less than there have been, but there are still vacancies." | Jean Harborne argues she does have professional positions. "There were 900 vacancies today in the Birmingham and Solihull area, and 25% were executive and professional posts," she says. "There may be less than there have been, but there are still vacancies." |
| But clearly, the competition for them is increasing all the time. | But clearly, the competition for them is increasing all the time. |