Websites for Welfare -Recruitment-Employment Resources

Welfare Reform and Job search support have been a passion of mine for many years. However for the first time I have decided to share some of the sites that I have developed over recent years. You will note a common themes amongst them

Job Search Agent  

Job Search Agent supports Job Seekers with their Registration & Job Alerts on Recruitment sites. The service provides a review option ensuring candidates maintain an interest in the vacancies being emailed to them

Welfare Support

Welfare Benefit Support

I undertook training with the CAB on Universal Credit and Social Security Law. I have had success as featured on recent posts in Appealing sanctions as well as Habitual Residency Test & Industrial Accident Benefits

Support.benefits2work.com

Support.benefits2work provides support for clients registering with research for Businesses based on ONS & DWP information and publication.

Christian Welfare Support

A series of pages with different areas of support that Churches and Christian fellowships may have an interest in. CAP, Foodbanks, Job Clubs, Welfare Benefits & Statistics. 

Benefits2work.com

Benefits2work.com is probably the domain that has featured the most over the years. A site that has been promoted and has its own Youtube and Facebook pages. It has its Content management system with the ability to post Jobs and carries posts from Welfare news for the last few years. Registration is free and information can be of use on many subjects.

IVS

IVS looks at the international aspect of Migrating workers arriving in the U.K.

The Focus on this site is supporting Graduate level Educated workers find suitable employment in the U.K The majority are I.T skilled clients.

It's received the financial  Go ahead this weekend to become an independent site. Working closely with Gabriel Elombah who is based in London 

Owen Smith New Shadow Secretery for Work and Pensions

Owen Smith MP as Welsh Secretary He is a clear speaker and appears to be a Down to Earth speaker. With an interest in Low pay even in this video
The page on his web site shows he has a background representing a poorer constituency. Ideal for defending the U.K against Welfare Reform. His new boss Jeremy made it clear that Welfare is a key issue the Labour Party will be active in so Owen knows this is an important post that the party will be measured by.  
Directly from the New Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary
"Thanks to everyone who has written to me on the Welfare Bill vote. I thought I would respond at some length with the facts of what happened and the reason why I voted as I did. Firstly, to be clear, Labour DID vote against the Welfare and Work Bill. There were two votes on Monday night. The first was a vote for or against Labour’s ‘Reasoned Amendment’ which explained some of our objections to the Bill and ‘Declined to give the Bill a Second Reading’ – that is arcane Parliamentary language for opposing the Bill. If that vote had been won then the Bill would have been defeated and the Government would have had to withdraw it.
The second vote, once we had lost ours, was a catch-all vote on whether the Bill should go on to the next stage of scrutiny and challenge – the Committee Stage and then Third Reading.
On that vote the decision taken by Harriet Harman, our interim leader, was that Labour should abstain.
 The reasoning for that was that there are some things in the Bill we agree with, for example, a new duty on Ministers to create and monitor high quality apprenticeships and a cut to social housing rents in England. I disagreed with that decision, and argued in Shadow Cabinet that there is far more in the Bill to object to than we might support. Along with Andy Burnham and others, I said that we should table a reasoned amendment, to detail our opposition to the Bill but, if that fell, we should also vote against at the second vote. However, that was not the position that Harriet took and the leadership’s decision was to abstain. That left me and others in the Shadow Cabinet with the choice whether to resign our positions to vote against the party in whose name, and on whose manifesto we were elected, or to be loyal to the leader and abide by her decision and the rules of collective responsibility.
 I clearly took the decision to do the latter. I did so for three reasons:
 1. I believe that integrity is important in politics, as in all things. I was elected as a Labour representative, not as an independent delegate, and the leader of Labour sets our position.
2. Had anyone from the Shadow Cabinet resigned, the split in the Labour party would have been horrendous, massively damaging our ability to take the fight – on this Bill and on the many other pernicious measures that we will face over the next five years – to the real enemy: the Tories.
3. The Bill would still not have been defeated with my vote – or, indeed, the votes of every Labour MP.
The Tories won the election, they have a majority, even if every opposition party in the House of Commons banded together against them.
And, as a back bencher, I would have had less chance to influence the policy of the Labour Party – the only party that can defeat the Tories in the next election and give us a chance of implementing progressive politics in Britain.
 The only people who would have benefit from such a massive split in the Labour Party are the Tories, Nationalists, Lib Dems and UKIP, parties who want to see Labour defeated. People do not vote for divided parties, as a rule – as the Tories illustrated over Europe in the 1990s – and every year out of power for Labour is another year of increased hardship for our communities here in Pontypridd and across the UK. Nye Bevan was right when he said that we have to win power if we are to be any real use to our constituents.
 They don’t just want protest, they want us to wield power on their behalf and to make a better society and a fairer economy.
We can’t do that from Opposition. But that does not mean that we cannot and will not protest against injustice when we see it in opposition.
That is why we spent much of the last five years arguing against the Bedroom Tax, low wages, cuts to disability benefits, corporate tax dodging etc. That is why Labour’s manifesto proposed not to slash 12 billion from social security spending, to increase taxes on unearned wealth and the highest incomes. And it is why Labour will continue to oppose the current Welfare Bill, word by word and line by line, at Committee stage and, unless there are massive improvements made to it (reinstating the Child Poverty targets, scrapping this awful 2-child policy etc) we will vote against it at Third Reading.
Andy Burnham, who I am supporting to be leader of the party, has made that clear, and I will be supporting him wholeheartedly in opposing the bill when we get to those crucial votes in the Autumn.
The process of opposing the Bill at Committee Stage has already started – though it will not get the headlines that Monday night’s votes did. We have already tabled amendments which seek to • Prevent the Government abolishing the targets for reducing child poverty. • Stop the 4 year freeze of Tax Credits • Change the 2 child policy These amendments, and many others fundamental changes, would have to be made to the Bill or I will be voting against it.
Now that may not be enough of an explanation, nor sufficient opposition for some, but it is an honest reflection of what happened last week from my perspective and a sincere pledge that I will continue to vote against the Bill, and fight for a Labour victory in 2020.

Unemployment stats June 2015

Information on images taken from Research Breifing Universal Credit stats are now appearing in research document pdf file. Sadly ONS has stopped producing some of the information as they used to in their easily digestable format. The 18-24 group information now takes more research but the stats are available for all areas for those that are keen to obtain this       The ONS used to produce a video each month however the figures are still available in this picture format. One area that I have noticed is that the area of the NEET group is no longer highlighted   Researched by John FairestAIEP    

The employment rate in the United Kingdom, for the 3 months ending April 2015, was highest in the South West (77.3%) and lowest in Northern Ireland (68.4%). The employment rate estimates are showing a mix of increases and decreases across the regions and countries of the UK.

• The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom, for the 3 months ending April 2015, was highest in the North East (7.4%) and lowest in the South East (4.1%). All regions are showing decreases in the unemployment rate compared with a year ago.

• The inactivity rate in the United Kingdom, for the 3 months ending April 2015, was highest in Northern Ireland (27.0%) and lowest in the South West (19.2%). A year ago, the lowest inactivity rate in the UK was in the South East (19.7%).

• The Claimant Count rate in the United Kingdom, for May 2015, was highest in Northern Ireland (4.8%) and lowest in the South East (1.2%). The Claimant Count for May 2015 compared with April 2015, is showing decreases or no change in the count across all regions of the UK, except the North West, for men, and the North West and Wales, for women.

• The largest increase in workforce jobs, in the United Kingdom, for the 3 month period ending March 2015, was in the West Midlands, at 40,000. The largest decrease was in the South East, at 32,000.

• The highest proportion of workforce jobs in the service sector was in London, at 91.7%, which is a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter. The East Midlands had the highest proportion of jobs in the production sector, at 13.8%, which has increased by 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter.

• The highest average actual weekly hours worked, for the twelve months ending December 2014, were in London, at 33.6 hours and lowest in the South West, at 31.2 hours. For full time workers, it was highest in London, at 38.3 hours and for part time workers it was highest in Northern Ireland, at 17.8 hours.

DWP-Christmas- & Stats for Year

...

Department of Work and Pensions

DWP Payment dates over Christmas New Year

Payment dates at Christmas and the new year from DWP the Department of Work and Pensions. This takes into consideration the Banks holidays of Christmas and New Year.

Payment due date	When you’ll be paid
24, 25, 26 December 2014	24 December
1 January 2015	31 December 2014
2 January 2015 (England and Wales)	2 January 2015

The Department of Work and Pensions ( DWP) have produced a number of statistics over the last year.

The ONS videos

Their results on Unemployment figures can be see on a monthly basis when the ONS produces their stats.

The ONS figures come out middle of the month. Here are a sample of the videos from the year.
We have produced videos on this and feedback throughout this year

The Real DWP results

But as I have often said this has not been the entire story as they do not take into consideration the figures for Universal Credit and ESA etc. [caption id="attachment_1331" align="alignleft"
 Indeed the figures for Sanctions also make interesting viewing throughout the year as featured here. The Appeals as you see in the presentation add to an interesting story. These figures are available as are the success rates of the Appeals

Vacancies and Unemployment

Vacancies and Unemployment in the U.K

The vacancies throughout the year have changed. As I pointed out in a previous post the ratio has gone from 3.8 to 2.8 This makes the bargaining power of the potential employee look bettter. However is that a reality for the Job seeker. Ask most job -seekers looking for vacancies under £20.000 and they would probably say no.

Vacancies in Industries

A short while back i did some research into the stats.  Vacancies by industry[/caption] I have a few pages for employers on further information in this area but the figures would also indicate which sectors of the economy have grown and which are struggling. The image seen here shown many of the sectors that are featured on the Stats. But this sort of information is not as well published as the ONS monthly Stats.

  John Fairest author
I wonder why?

Housing-Private and Council-the crisis

 Social Housing is a massive issue as featured in this Panorama documentary. The waiting list far exceeds the demand. Private landlords are thriving. Councils are becoming like agents. Havering Council is such an example. But temporary accomodation is a massive issue and the Stats highlight this issue. In London the Issue is worse. In London the Council's look at moving people to outside of London West Midlands etc. Often Private Accomodation in these categories may often suffer from Damp as featured within the documentary The Benefit cap is highlighted by the Newham and Stoke issue
 
 The DWP stats on Benefit Cap Highlight the issue.London outstrips the remainder of the Country very clearly

The CAP per region highlights the issue we can see here how the figures rise and to the levels they rose to. We alse see the regional differences

It is clear that the CAP has had a direct effect On the London and South East This is born out on all the Media productions.The conclusion has to be that those on low incomes, Zero hour contract, part time workers face an uncertain future unless Housing options for low income earners are tackled. Temporary Accomodation soon becomes long term accomodation

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn sums up the issue well and leaves us with something to consider for the New Year and the future General Election
What is your M.P saying

Benefits and welfare and the real situation

The Welfare challenge

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says"



Working-age benefit spending has always been sensitive to the unemployment rate. But the rapid growth of housing benefit and tax credits over the couple of decades (documented in thisbriefing note published today) means that slow earnings growth now has the potential to push up spending too. Much of the hoped-for savings from the introduction of ESA have failed to materialise, and it is an open question whether the personal independence payment will be any different. Mr Osborne wants further cuts to social security spending to help reduce the deficit. He may end up having to make cuts just to stay on track."

The gov .uk Stats for your area-
Benefit stats

The BBC quote the Institute of Fiscal studies

Explaining why spending had in fact reduced by £2.5bn in real terms, it said:

• All of the £5bn rise in the cost of pensioner benefits could be explained by the rising cost of state pensions. It said this was partly down to the ageing population, but also the "more generous" entitlements of a new generation of pensioners who had recently retired
• There had been an "unanticipated" rise in housing benefit spending of £1bn, despite cuts of £2bn, which was down to the growth of the private rental sector, rising rents and slow earnings growth
• This slower earnings growth meant spending on tax credits had not come down as quickly as expected, reducing costs by less than £3bn compared with a forecast saving of £4.6bn
• "Significant delays" in the replacement of disability living allowance with the "less generous" personal independence payment had led to a £1.6bn increase in spending, rather than a £1.2bn cut
• Switching from the Retail Prices Index to the Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation for up-rating benefits had not saved the expected £4bn

Note the challenge of the Tax Credit - this will become the Universal Credit in due cource. The slow earnings growth has made a difference

Many may agree with Edd Balls and Rachel Reeves. They wrote: "A key cause of the Tories' overspending is their failure to make the economy work for working people, leaving thousands more reliant on housing benefit."

So how are the Welfare Reform changes affecting people

The changes to council tax benefit have also hit Blackpool particularly hard, as the council decided to pass on most of the 10% shortfall in government grant to its residents.

Mike Clague, a former RAF chef whose 19th floor flat has such a spectacular view, is having to find £15 a month extra.

"It doesn't sound much," he says. "But on top of all the other bills, it's a lot."

Ann Morris gives out school uniforms to those who cannot afford them

He has had to cut back on food as a result. Chocolate has become a once-a-week treat.

In Blackpool even those on jobseeker's allowance (JSA) have to find an extra £206 a year.

Many people have not yet paid anything.

"We recently had a huge influx of clients for non-payment of that money," says Julia Hannaford of Blackpool Citizens Advice.

"In one week we saw 40 people."

For those that are paying, the extra outgoings have stretched household budgets. Half the council tenants in Blackpool are behind with their rent.

In two or three cases, the local housing association has now obtained suspended possession orders, the first stage in the eviction process.

Sanctions

Elsewhere in the North West there are already some striking memorials to the first six months of the benefits changes: the houses that no one wants.

In Sefton, on an estate once known as Beirut, there are roads where dozens of people have moved out.

One resident of Daley Road points out 10 empty houses in her street.

One of the empty houses in Daley Road

"They don't even bother to board them up anymore," she tells me.

"It's all because of the bedroom tax. Nobody wants a three bedroom place anymore."

On this part of Merseyside, community workers also report that, since April, more people are having their benefits temporarily stopped.

JSA claimants, for example, now have to prove that they are job hunting, by applying online.

But not all are computer literate.

Ann Morris, a development worker in Litherland, says that as a result many parents can no longer afford to buy school uniforms.

She and her colleagues have set up a uniform bank to help.

"They all want their kids to go back to school with new uniforms. But some have benefit sanctions, so they just don't have the money," she says.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

I never thought I'd see the day that we'd all get in and share a bath. A treat is getting in the bath first.”

Carol WilsonBenefit claimant

'Blind Scouse'

Carol Wilson, a carer from the Tuebrook area of Liverpool, was herself sanctioned earlier in the year.

She lost one week's Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), as a result of being in hospital.

Since April she has also had to find £80 a month as a result of having a spare room, and £9 a month extra for council tax.

Along with all claimants, she has also been affected by the 1% cap on annual benefits increases.

She, her partner, and her son now share their bath-water to try to economise.

"I never thought I'd see the day that we'd all get in and share a bath. A treat is getting in the bath first."

And she stretches a pot of stew, known as scouse, so that it lasts for three days.

"You just add potatoes each day. When the meat runs out, it's known as "blind scouse".

Blind scouse is certainly making a comeback in Liverpool at the moment, she says.

Coping

All along the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has insisted that the changes are not about saving money, but about encouraging more people into work.

Indeed since claimants were warned about the cap on total benefits back in April, the DWP says more than 15,000 have been helped to find jobs.

"Since April we have made great strides delivering our reforms," a DWP spokesman told the BBC.

"The rollout of universal credit and personal independence payments have begun, reforms to housing benefit are making the system fairer and the benefit cap is now in place across the country."

The government also says it has cut income tax for 25 million people, saving a typical taxpayer £700 a year.

It claims the typical household will also save £600 as a result of council tax being frozen for five years.

And even among those hit by benefit cuts, there are those who support the principles of the reforms.

"I do think it's right that people should be in work if they can be," says Carol Wilson.

"And I don't think being on benefits should be too comfortable.

"Whilst I would like more, the country is in a crisis. And I cope with what I have," she says.

The Welfare Reform

This is the reality watch the video to hear the truth!!!