UK Economy

[Iron]

Funny tweet from Rupert Murdoch:

https://twitter.com/#!/StevenNott/statu ... 80/photo/1

[Photon]

For once Murdoch might have a point. We have one of the highest household debt in the world and despite economic stagnation there doesn't seem to be any cut back on holidays and other discretionary spending.


http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailycha ... debt-guide

[superfrank]

Shoppers shun the January sales
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... sales.html
what's the BoE gonna do now?!... their plan to boost consumer spending to rescue the economy obviously isn't working.

[Iron]

UK 'double dip' recession expected by most finance directors - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/econ ... ctors.html

I'm going to have fun looking for work in this environment!

Jeff

[Iron]

Mister Man -

This afternoon, I went to a local industrial estate, and called in on a few businesses, to see if they were recruiting. I asked a couple of the business owners if they often had people come in off the street looking for work, and they replied 'occasionally'. That suggests that most local unemployed people aren't busting a gut to find a job...

Jeff

yes a few, play the system well and get the headlines (scroungers etc),

[LeTiss]

I didn't realise you were looking for work Jeff

I admire your style though my friend, what % of unemployed actually knock on doors, and don't bother waiting for them to be advertised

[Iron]

I didn't realise you were looking for work Jeff

I haven't given up on trading, but I'd like to have a guaranteed source of income coming in. And if I establish I have an edge, it won't take me long to reach a point from trading part-time where I could quit the job anyway.

I admire your style though my friend, what % of unemployed actually knock on doors, and don't bother waiting for them to be advertised

Thanks.

One guy actually gave me an interview, because he thought 'This guy has shown enough initiative to walk in off the street, so I want to talk to him', which tells you just how many people take that approach...

And the industrial estate I visited isn't exactly in the middle of nowhere. It's about 5 minutes' walk from the local ASDA, so people could easily visit a few businesses before they did their weekly shopping.

Jeff

[LeTiss]

My ex-girlfriend used to work in Bluebell Way

It sounds like it might be that area you're talking about

[Iron]

I actually live in Morecambe these days (for my sins! ).

Jeff

My ex-girlfriend used to work in Bluebell Way

It sounds like it might be that area you're talking about

[superfrank]

do you still have Chinese cockle pickers?

UK service sector 'surprisingly buoyant' in December
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16424145

Clinton Cards reports on 'tough' Christmas
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16421603

didn't clinton cards go bust once before?

UK retailing faces a very difficult future imho, not only because of falling disposable incomes and competition from the net but also because of the ridiculous rents and business rates we have in the UK.

[Iron]

I don't know, although if/when I sign on, sod's law says that the Job Centre will force me to work as a cockle picker!

Jeff

do you still have Chinese cockle pickers?

[superfrank]

if/when I sign on

don't bother. after getting made redundant i signed on for 6 months (out of principle having paid a small fortune in tax for years). complete waste of time... i got told off and stopped a payment for going on holiday! and had to sit through a lecture on finding work by people who could hardly speak the language.

[Iron]

The reason I haven't yet signed on is because I don't want to be pushed into the first job that comes along, and find myself doing some loathesome job on the minimum wage that won't take my career forward.

I've nothing against hard work, and nor do I view some jobs as beneath me. But I'm going to at least try to land myself a reasonably interesting job first...

Jeff

[hgodden]

From what I've heard from other people my understanding is that the job centre rely on making decent deserving people feel like crap when they go to sign on as a way to keep the numbers down. A lot of the most deserving people don't get what they're entitled to due to the 'shaming' tactics which don't seem to bother other groups of people. I thought they could only make sure you are actively looking for work (which you are and can prove) or send you for an interview somewhere after some time if you haven't fullfilled the criteria. I don't think they can force people into work in the way that some people believe. Some people have been claiming for 10 years without an interview. They just rely on frightening people off what they're entitled to.

[Iron]

When I last signed on, half the time the Job Centre didn't even bother to check the form you're supposed to fill in to say what jobs you've been looking for. And if you wanted to play the system, it would be quite easy to do so (for example, applying for jobs for which you're under-qualified, or making a deliberate hash of interviews!).

But I think the government have really tightened things up, in order to force people back into work.

Jeff