More than 7,000 roles advertised in job centres unfilled for six months
Thousands of jobs have been left unfilled for at least six months, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.
In May more than 7,000 jobs had been advertised in job centres for at least six months, the Sunday Times reported. Nearly one thousand of these roles (942) had remained unfilled for a year or more, and 48 for two years.
Experts argued that the figures show some unemployed people would rather stay on benefits than work in low-skilled jobs such as call centres or care homes.
Professor Richard Jackman from the London School of Economics explained that when unemployment benefits were introduced the majority of claimants were heads of a household with dependants. This is not the case now, he added.
“The capacity of such people to withstand periods without any income is something that could be tested a bit more ruthlessly,” he said.
Chris Grayling, employment minister, said: “The fact these jobs are advertised for a long period shows the current welfare system is not working.
“After a decade of throwing money at the problem, there are still five million people out of work living on benefits.”
The local authority with the most vacancies advertised for nine to 12 months was Teignbridge in Devon, which has a high demand for local care workers because of the large number of elderly residents.
Sheffield also has high numbers of jobs left unfilled for long periods despite its 8.6 per cent unemployment rate, which is above the national average. Many of the 300 jobs advertised for six to nine months are in sales.
Employer Barbara Byrne, a manager at Coombeswood House nursing home in Newton Abbot, had been advertising for an apprentice care assistant for more than a year. The role pays £6 an hour but she said that many of the locals who had enquired about the position would rather stay on benefits. She also said that many eastern Europeans who would previously have filled such roles had gone home.
Source People Management
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