can jobcentre contact companies you apply to?

Owain_Moneysaver

jimbob40 wrote: »

I wouldn't mind so much today but when I came back to the JC this afternoon to submit my 'evidence' she'd already left and nobody else would see me - they just told me to come back on Monday.

So that's going to be 3 round trips to the job centre... at almost £5 per round trip that's almost £15 I'm going to have spent on this bloody signing date, which is a lot when you're living on JSA!

You can claim travel expenses for trips to the jobcentre that aren't on signing days. I don't know if you can claim for a second trip on a signing day. You will need to keep tickets.

Jobs where the jobcentre can get personal details of your application from the employers are usually marked LEP (local employment partner) on the jobpoint screens.

mirrorimage0

do you not have an oyster card to make the trips cheaper

Disenchanted

They can check yes, though they won't follow up every individual app you make as that would waste too much of their time. I was told that I shouldn't make anything up because if they rang the employer and found out I hadn't applied there, I wouldn't receive my JSA (not that I ever have, this was just a warning when I first made my claim!).

happy_lass

yep, they can check. Jobcentre plus, DWP can do pretty much anything they want to. if they want to check on you for anything, they can. I am amazed at the amount of knowledge that they have on claiments. I phoned the DWP earlier this week about something to do with my daughters (i am her appointee) disability benefit. They asked me security questions and one of them was "what was the previous address that you and your daughter lived at" i told them that my daughter had always been claiming DLA from our present address because she was only a baby at our previous address. But yes, sure as damn, they had our previous address correct although god knows how they knew it !!:)

Adereterial

happy_lass wrote: »

yep, they can check. Jobcentre plus, DWP can do pretty much anything they want to. if they want to check on you for anything, they can. I am amazed at the amount of knowledge that they have on claiments. I phoned the DWP earlier this week about something to do with my daughters (i am her appointee) disability benefit. They asked me security questions and one of them was "what was the previous address that you and your daughter lived at" i told them that my daughter had always been claiming DLA from our present address because she was only a baby at our previous address. But yes, sure as damn, they had our previous address correct although god knows how they knew it !!:)

They'd know it because she'd be linked to you through your child benefit claim and your previous address would have been registered by HMRC at the time. Not rocket science.

In answer to the OPs question - obviously a doubt has arisen about whether you're meeting your JSAG, or if you've applied for a job given to you by the Jobcentre. You're being asked to give evidence that you did. Yes they can contact an employer and if there is a doubt that you applied for a job they already have.

Glen_Clark

ChaseMe wrote: »

I was just thinking the same, you will have to give your former employer as a reference.

Unless the company has gone bust i suppose..?.;)

When they get your P60 to work out your tax records won't they see what you have been paid so far in this tax year - (only unemployment benefits)?

(Thats whats stopping me from doing it)

skintbint_2

quote: To make matters worse, I spoke to the JSA on the phone this afternoon and it's a complete fabrication that my account has been 'flagged' as the advisor said!! I think I'm being given the run around to be honest!!

if you spoke to jsa on the phone that would be the processing centre and not the jobcentre - and they would have no idea what was happening in the local office regarding the labour market side of things so i dont think its complete fabrication, and as for the lady having a bad day and being awkward i know from experience you dont call people back without a true reason to see them twice in one day if you can help it.

WPN

jimbob40 wrote: »

Hi there,

I signed on this week and the lady at the office said my account had been 'flagged'. I submitted my work search diary but she sent me away and said I need to bring evidence of the applications.

Obviously I have the applications on my PC that I can submit but my worry is that the Jobcentre will be contacting the companies I applied to in order to check the applications?

I'm sure like most I certainly DON'T put on my applications that I'm currently unemployed and I'm really worried that they'll 'blow my cover' so to speak by contacting them!! I have a couple of great interviews coming up and I'm really worried by providing JSA with the full details of the applications they'll start contacting the employers/agencies and mess it all up for me!

does anyone know the in's and out's of this?

They can contact employers. The employers do not need to enter such communications - and any decent employer would refuse under basic data protection concept - however, social security law allows the fraud teams etc. greater powers where employers have to cooperate or face a fine.

Regardless of what anyone says, its extremely rare they would check up because its merely pointless expensive waste of human resources. Under law, although its expected you to apply for jobs, the law states you must undertake 3 steps per week to find work. Neither step needs to be applying for a job (which I think is wrong)... sanctions allow them to stop your JSA if you dont apply for jobs they notify you for... however, sanctions isn't exactly the same thing as benefit fraud (from not reporting change in circumstances etc.) - if you didn't apply for any jobs in that two week period isn't fraud. An AO/EO at Jobcentre Plus doesn't have the powers to force employers to comply.

Jobcentre Plus are losing 6900 jobs by 2013; and with the high unemployment means big workloads, its unlikely they have the time to be writing or phoning employers to check (I dont think they can sanction you if you didnt apply anyway, unless they gave you the job via jobseeker direction). Its likely they are just flexing their muscles to the maximum they can under law, although they accept verbal evidence and brief job logs... (saves time) they can request you to provide full evidence of your jobseeking under Jobseekers Act 1995.

It is more likely an internal policy applied locally to be more stricter with jobseekers. Probably unlikely anything personal to you. They want to boot you up the backside, assuming all jobseekers become laid back after a while. Such policy probably results in 10% increased productivity in jobseekers applying for more jobs than they would have done. Could be 8 jobs a week instead of 7 etc.

(Whats the talk of about an "account"? It is NOT a bank... the proper terminology is a "claim" (benefit claim) - I also doubt it has really been "flagged".. just probably randomly selected as someone to bully to make sure you get the most out of your job search)