UK Government To Spy On Computers of the Jobless

An anonymous reader writes "Jobseekers will be offered the chance to look for work through the new Universal Jobmatch website, which automatically pairs them up with opportunities that suit their skills after scanning their CVs. It will also allow employers to search for new workers among the unemployed and send messages inviting them to interviews. However, their activities may also be tracked using cookies, so their Job Centre advisers know how many searches they have been doing and whether they are turning down viable opportunities. Iain Duncan-Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said the scheme would 'revolutionize' the process of looking for work. He said anyone without a job after signing up to the scheme would be lacking 'imagination.'"

Re:Germany...

[Evtim]

Yhea, same in the Netherlands. 1 job application per week or no welfare. Problem is you are not allowed to apply/take just any job. If you are let's say nuclear physicist and you apply to work as auto-mechanic, they tell you "you should find a job suited for you background, money has been invested in your education" Which is fine and dandy but there are NO 4 open positions per month for nuclear physicist. So?

From free market point of view I do not understand this at all. If a company X can get overqualified person for the announced salary, isn't that good for the company? There are no laws that regulate the salaries in the private sector. You get more performance for the same buck! Maybe that person wants to stop doing nuclear physics. Maybe there are really no jobs and he/she is so desperate that they want that job never mind the over qualification..also the tech jobs went East but we are not allowed to work anything else. So become permanently unemployed or die (the former eventually leads to the latter anyway)? What other options are there?

This whole shit has to stop but the only way I see is total rebuild of the socioeconomic model of Homo Sapiens. Fat chance...

Re:ITT: U MAD?

[oodaloop]

I find your post fascinating. How did you get past the caps filter?

Re:Germany...

[disi]

I meant that more related to the government knowing how many searches one did, which is a joke compared to other countries. I was once unemployed for three weeks in Ireland, went to the office, filled in a form and got a check end of each week. No questions asked to a maximum of six months, I think. This is a model I would support, no stress and within six months people should be able to find another job.

Re:Germany...

[Jane Q. Public]

"Whenever you create a system which covers people's basic needs without asking anything in return you'll create a bunch of people who'll take what's offered then dedicate their free time to wheeling and dealing for beer money (usually doing 'easy money' stuff which is detrimental to society...)"

Um...

In my state, unemployment is an INSURANCE program that you pay into when you are working. You can only collect if you have paid into it. And you ALSO have to fulfill certain requirements, such as applying for a certain number of jobs per week and turning in those records so they can check up on you.

Re:Sensationalist much?

[mumblestheclown]

Is it also your human right to let your children go hungry if you are unwilling to work to support yourself? the theory of "welfare" (defined in its narrow sense here as specific programs designed to give money to the needy) is that we are willing to tolerate some mooching by adults in order to protect children, given that options of actually taking away / moving childen are often in practice very limited (much more limited than you might think).

Re:Sensationalist much?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was told to USE the portal when I signed on.. I did but didn't log in so they had no record of me using it. When asked why I wasn't using the portal. I told them I was and handed over a thick wad of paper printed off from the site of job adverts and the emails/ letters sent out.
The advisor just said "ok carry on"

I got told by one guy while waiting to sign on one week - that he'd had his money stopped because the advisor asked him why he'd not applied for some of the jobs he'd looked at on the portal. When he told the advisor that one job advert itself had nothing to do with the listed title and another he wasn't qualified enough to do - The advisor just said. "If you look at ANY job listing - you'd better apply for it - irrespective of what you think - or we'll stop your money altogether."