Unemployment hits 2.6m. Over 1m 16-24 year olds out of work

Road_Hog

worldtraveller wrote: »

Even as the number of jobless people rose to its highest in nearly 20 years, employment among foreign citizens rose by more than 6 per cent.

But even as overall unemployment rose, foreign workers continued to prosper.

The figures fuelled concerns that, facing a slowing economy, British companies are choosing to hire experienced foreign staff instead of meeting the higher costs of hiring young British novices.

The above indicates the reason why unemployment is on the rise in the UK and in particular amongst the younger generation who are more likely to be at the lower end of the market. Below is a copy and paste from another forum, that somebody went to the trouble of getting the factual figures.

"Because the immigrants often live in temporary barrack room conditions, returning to their home countries and their nice houses and families with what seems to them a small fortune.

With the average wage in Poland being c. £9,500 p.a., a Polish man can work in England for a few years, living in barrack room conditions that no-one would find acceptable as permanent accommodation, sending home child benefit of £2,449 for his three children who live with their mother in Poland, earning £12,646 on the minimum wage and receiving Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits of £7,536 on top. That's a total income of £22,631, equivalent to more than twice the national average wage in Poland.

After say three or four years of this a Polish worker can return to Poland with enough money saved to buy a house for cash. For them its the equivalent of being paid £50,000 p.a. to stack shelves at Tescos. That's why they're happy to work hard for the minimum wage."

Now, that's not having a pop at Polish, they're only doing what I'd do if I was in their position. In fact it's no different to British Labourers going to Germany in the '70/80s to work for good money, Auf Wiedersehen Pet?

"Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf."

Even our supposedly anti immigration politicians are at it.

"THE leader of the anti-immigration UK Independence party (UKIP) has imported cheap east European labourers to renovate his West Country mansion.

Roger Knapman, an MEP and UKIP's leader since 2002, hired Polish workers through his son, who runs a company that specialises in bringing foreign labour to Britain.

Over the past 11 months they have been working 10 hours a day, six days a week, while living dormitory-style in Knapman's attic. His son's company claims east Europeans are up to 50% cheaper than their British counterparts."

That's what it's all about, reducing the cost of labour. I don't remember any party putting it in their manifesto and asking Joe Public if they wanted it. I don't believe that they would have voted for wage deflation and mass unemployment.

kabayiri

Road_Hog wrote: »

...
That's what it's all about, reducing the cost of labour. I don't remember any party putting it in their manifesto and asking Joe Public if they wanted it. I don't believe that they would have voted for wage deflation and mass unemployment.

This is nothing new.

For a period of 18 months after 2000, following the Y2K and dotcom booms, the UK government granted 30,000 work visas here for non-EU nationals in the IT sector.

I suspect the motivation was a push from business to force the cost of IT labour down.

In some sectors it clearly worked. A friend commanded an income of circa £50K back in 2000 in graphic design. Today they would be happy to accept £25K.

I'm sure there are some here who would say this is the inevitable and justifiable result of market forces.

My problem with this is just how do you career plan when you have no influence over external factors like this?

New graduates will be saddled with significant debt, and the unemployment figures will prove a worry.

Road_Hog

kabayiri wrote: »

This is nothing new.

You're not wrong there

kabayiri wrote:

I suspect the motivation was a push from business to force the cost of IT labour down.

It most certainly was. Now, I'm no socialist, I'm a capitalist (we have corporatism now, not capitalism), but I believe in a fair day's wage for a fair day's work.

Now, you hear the business owners saying employees are only worth the going rate of pay and that they won't work for it. Well, the elites don't like it when it's on the other foot and there's a labour shortage. Since time immemorial, the elites change the rules if the going rate for labour doesn't suit them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Labourers_1351

So yes, it is to force the cost of labour down.

kabayiri wrote:

In some sectors it clearly worked. A friend commanded an income of circa £50K back in 2000 in graphic design. Today they would be happy to accept £25K.

I'm sure there are some here who would say this is the inevitable and justifiable result of market forces. B]edit see my point above when market forces don't suit them[/B

My problem with this is just how do you career plan when you have no influence over external factors like this?

Very difficult to plan your future. Unfortunately we have many cultural Marxists running the country, controlling our education system and media, which is brainwashing much of the population. Which means people are too afraid to complain about the situation.

Limited controlled immigration can benefit us, but massive unfettered immigration does not. It is not wrong for the people born in this country, which is a first world country (for how long) to say that they should not be expected to compete on third world wages and should be able to expect to have a reasonable standard of living, i.e. be able to afford to run a car, maybe own their own home, start a family and take the odd holiday. Those of my generation were certainly able to and most of those in the previous generation were able to.

Morglin

Well, at least Grayling is taking the news very calmly:

.............A political row erupted after Chris Grayling, the Employment Minister, dismissed the one million figure as "a bit of a distraction".................

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pain-but-no-gain-6263358.html

Lin

Going4TheDream

The first fully non British staffed shop - is this the shape of things to come?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062477/Foreign-workers-UK-jobs-number-Britons-work-plunges-youth-unemployment-hits-1million.html

And a few employers saying why they wont employ British or prefer not to - There are many hardworking people, and many desperate to work......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062504/Meet-British-bosses-say-Give-foreign-workers-time.html

I remember when I was a child there were a stigma attached to being out of work and having to claim any benefits, what has happened to this country in the past 40 odd years, have our values really changed that much?

Or are these bosses after quick profit and migration has enabled them to pay lower wages in a more global market?

Older people cannot be forced into retirement and young kids cannot get jobs, this must impact somewhere along the line

Some others refuse to work for 'lower' wages and the state allows it....

setmefree2

nembot wrote: »

We did need a recession (and we were pretty close) back in the early nougties, instead we got almost free credit for 7-10 years.

Do you not see a problem here, do you think this would work and everyone would be fine when the problem began to arise?

Don't blame those who saw this coming, but the people responsible for making it happen.

We're in a global financial crisis and all we've done is put plasters on the wound and take painkillers, the recovery is far away, far away.

For me (being nearly 50 ) recessions come and go, they are just part of the business cycle . When the good times end, as they invariably do, what's there to cheer about? Lots of people lose their jobs, lots of people lose their businesses and everyone worries. Recessions are inevitable - yes, something to be happy about - never. and No - I could never understand how anyone can cheer on a recession.

setmefree2

worldtraveller wrote: »

Even as the number of jobless people rose to its highest in nearly 20 years, employment among foreign citizens rose by more than 6 per cent.

Unemployment in London stands at 10% which I find shocking as we are surrounded by employed east europeans!

gailey_2

newsnight did excelant peice on youth unemployment tuesday night speaking to group of young people.

Channel 4news did good peice last night out of the 90,000 vacancies in job centre 6.3people chasing each job break jobs down into sectors its worse.
graduates have it tough as they have debt and end up in low paid job or no job at all.

A lot of employment figures skewed as many people taken on part time work when they need fulltime hours to live.

my husband advertised a vacancy 8hours fully flexible temp retail position min wage got 300applications in 3days.

Employers have their pick of bunch. im looking for part time as have degree plus lots of experience but I have kids and cant be fully flexible so its harder.

my fil was carpenter he said his apprenticeship took 5years but before he retired they had watered it down to 18months nvq he said quality was rubbish.

apprenticeships used to be be good when my grand parents/parents were younger but last 10years anything non academic ie degree level has been massivly dumbed down with gnvqs and nvqs not really worth much bhut even gcses and alevels not preparing youngsters for workplace.

dont know what solution is some parents must think my child will never leave home as they cant afford to rent or buy.

Im considering retraining but means going to uni and wondering can I afford it will it guarantee me a job fairly well paid at end of it as tutions 9grand a year now im not in 18-24 group but young at heart grand old age of 31 always thourght in my head at 18 I be finacially sorted by now.

I always worked continually from age 15 up to when had 2nd child.

I would be so bored having no job and not having the kids.

Rochdale_Pioneers

i was entertained by yesterday's story about the Work Programme - young unemployed graduates being forced to work at Tesco or lose their benefits. They wore the same uniform as staff, used the same facilities, but didn't get paid by Tesco.

So on one hand we have a lack of jobs. And on the other hand we have employers being given transient labour for free by the government.....

morganedge

Maybe there should be a new thread about why the youth seem so unemployable today. What's happened? Something to do with the education system?
I find it odd that exam results seem to be getting better and better every year.
All of my friends younger siblings seem to get lots of A*'s in their GCSE's yet are not half as clever as my friends who got B's and C's about 8 years earlier.
It baffles me.