Unemployment falls as MPs criticise unpaid internships

by Andy Robinson

UK unemployment has fallen by 52,000 to a decade-low of 1.6 million in the three months leading up to November, the Office for National Statistics has revealed.

4.8% of the population remains jobless whilst a record-high 74.5% are currently employed.

The growth within the immediate post-brexit term provides encouragement for the future ahead, amidst a time full of uncertainty.

However, the number of people in work has already decreased for the consecutive term, falling by 9,000 to 31.8 million but this is marginal compared to the consensus-expected 35,000 drop.

Phillip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced increases to wages in his Autumn Statement last November, with average weekly wages increasing by 2.7% already.

Hammond’s change will be enforced in April and could see a further fall in jobs as employers are forced to pay each individual worker more.

Ben Shergold, 21, Brighton, used to claim Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) and described what it felt like to be unemployed.

“The idea of knowing that you have no money coming in and nothing to do every single day really does get to you, and is only emphasised when everyone around you starts getting work. It’s boring and you feel worthless.”

He earned around £250 a month on JSA, which he described as “great when you’re a lazy teenager doing nothing”, but he hated claiming it.

“I hated going. You can never really walk into a job centre with confidence and a smile, as there’s nothing to be proud of. It feels like begging which is ironic because a lot of people on JSA are merely on it because they don’t put in the effort to look for work.”

“I felt pathetic going there and knew the entire time I could just be trying a lot harder to look for work. Throughout the entire time I was on JSA I wasn’t offered a single job. The staff there reviewed my CV and details regularly but everything just seemed so half-hearted.”

Claiming Job Seekers Allowance often carries a stigma but unpaid internships are no better way of getting a foot on the employment ladder as employers often exploit desperate JSA claimants in need of experience.

Earlier this week, MPs formed a report proposing the ban of unpaid internships, claiming they form a barrier to lower social classes, as many unemployed people simply cannot afford to work unpaid.

They suggest that all unpaid internships should become paid after the first month with almost a third of graduates already going into this form of entry scheme.

Ben was lucky enough to finally start getting paid when he decided to stop claiming benefits and instead spent his days searching for work, and within less than two weeks, he had a full time job at Urban Outfitters.

“It felt good to finally have an income that I worked hard for; it matured me and gave me a stronger perspective on the working life. I’ve been employed ever since going from job to job, trying new things and experiencing new things.”

“I suppose you can only appreciate being employed once you know the pain of being unemployed – being lazy and bed-ridden. Being employed gives you a feeling of worth. It feels good.”

He believes that people are too picky when browsing for jobs and should try something new instead of searching for the ideal career.

“I think what puts people off is this idea that their first job has to be their dream job. Every person who has succeeded to work their dream job has 100% once done something that they didn’t love.”

Ben currently works in a part time position as a lighting engineer/DJ to focus on his music, earning over double what he made from JSA.

Part-time employment like this has in-fact risen by 86,000 with a significant hike in short-term contracts.

“I never thought I’d have the skills to run the lights for a busy nightclub, but once trained and experienced, I am forever thankful I was offered the job. There are some cool jobs out there and some very well paid jobs also, so why not try and find them?”