Why are so many of you guys unemployed?

[Raddra]

Odd that seeing for the last 26 months unemployment has been falling and the greatest number of people ever are currently working in the UK.

The UK figures are one of the worst cases of politicians stretching and manipulating the numbers so they are lies.

Between tweaking the numbers of hours required to count as 'employed', 0 hour contracts and makng unemployed people work for a number of weeks per year for free so they can be counted as employed in the official figures, the UK government's figures are an utter sham that can't be trusted.

 

[Albino Boo]

Odd that seeing for the last 26 months unemployment has been falling and the greatest number of people ever are currently working in the UK.

The UK figures are one of the worst cases of politicians stretching and manipulating the numbers so they are lies.

Between tweaking the numbers of hours required to count as 'employed', 0 hour contracts and makng unemployed people work for a number of weeks per year for free so they can be counted as employed in the official figures, the UK government's figures are an utter sham that can't be trusted.

Small but rather important point THEY CALCULATED THE SAME WHY WHEN THEY WERE GOING DOWN AS WELL AS UP. The methodology has not changed changed and if you go to Germany you will find exactly the same situation. Bottom line you are more to have job now than you were 2 years ago. But why bother with facts lets, blame the government. The UK economy is in growth, unemployment is falling, average wages are going up and the deficit is falling/. That is not an economy in shambles. Its one the 70% of the European Union will give their right arm for.

 

[Haerthan]

Or at least that's how it seems to me. Every week there's at least two threads about horror stories or requests for advice regarding getting a job, and lots of people always reply. This could of course be just me, but as an undergrad you guys are scaring the crap out of me with your experiences.

Cause we are all basement dwelling mama boys lol. Also you are an undergrad dude. You will get shafted. Also we just passed a recession a few years ago so yea shit aint that good right now.

 

[Haerthan]

Odd that seeing for the last 26 months unemployment has been falling and the greatest number of people ever are currently working in the UK.

The UK figures are one of the worst cases of politicians stretching and manipulating the numbers so they are lies.

Between tweaking the numbers of hours required to count as 'employed', 0 hour contracts and makng unemployed people work for a number of weeks per year for free so they can be counted as employed in the official figures, the UK government's figures are an utter sham that can't be trusted.

Small but rather important point THEY CALCULATED THE SAME WHY WHEN THEY WERE GOING DOWN AS WELL AS UP. The methodology has not changed changed and if you go to Germany you will find exactly the same situation. Bottom line you are more to have job now than you were 2 years ago. But why bother with facts lets, blame the government. The UK economy is in growth, unemployment is falling, average wages are going up and the deficit is falling/. That is not an economy in shambles. Its one the 70% of the European Union will give their right arm for.

Well you guys do have the equivalent to the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada (an oxymoron if I ever heard one) in power right now. But hey at least you are safe from porn. Sorry couldn't help but dig at that. Well yea no wonder the EU hasn't fallen yet. Cause if it was only Germany propping shit up it would have imploded years ago. There is Scandinavia, so Norway, Sweden and Finland, there is Germany, France and the UK, Poland I think as well, Romania as well to a certain extent, not sure but definitely better off than Greece. Only Greece, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Ireland went into a crisis. Ireland and Cyprus cause they didnt regulate shit, Greece cause they had majour fraud issues, Spain and Portugal I have no idea to be honest, most likely they came out of it as well. So what have learned children? Don't trust the banks and keep an eye on them.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

Yeah, I'm aware of this. I'm probably just frustrated that I put so much hard work into my degree and was told over and over again by lecturers how much it'd prepare me for employment. There's the stereotype that many students go to university to get drunk a lot on the government's dime which isn't entirely untrue. But I got so used to working long days on projects that I actually cared about and now the prospect of doing things that don't require my skills bothers me.

I checked your profile and you have a degree in games design. You chose a degree in which supply out strips demand, so its going to be incredibly hard to get job that uses your degree. It also quite specialised and most of the skills don't cross over into other areas. I think you need to be a little realistic and either go for something like graduate entry into the civil service or add some other qualifications to your CV. Perhaps something like a Prince2 project management course. Game design and project management is more employable than just game design.

[HEADING=2]Because the economy is in shambles[/HEADING]

Okay maybe I can't speak for other countries but in the UK there are far more unemployed people than jobs, and a lot of people are being laid off because of budget cuts everywhere, which means even more unemployed people.

Even entry level jobs are being taken up by people with experience because for companies it's expensive to train someone right from the basics so they decide to go with whoever's done it before, even when it's not fair.

I just did a 6 week "Job Based Work Program" to get a job at the Royal Mail, and guess what? I might not even get a job now. Though that's more the fault of someone working at RM than the Job Center. So I'll let it slide on that one.

Odd that seeing for the last 26 months unemployment has been falling and the greatest number of people ever are currently working in the UK.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30913960

Yeah our government likes to rig the statistics and the BBC just lap it up.

Also i finally managed to get a job late November order picking for amazon, three days in i broke my collarbone on the way home after work, it was only supposed to be a temporary gig but it would have helped with my CV after it finished. I was gutted to say the least.

 

[Dragonbums]

What do you mean by "you" people? As others have said not every place has 100% employment rate. That's also not to mention the average age for people on gaming forums tend to range from 15-mid 20's with the occasional family man/woman or middle aged person. Those people tend to spend the less time on game forums whereas the latter young group have more time and energy on their hands.

 

[lowtech redneck]

Thanks man. I just kind of had a realization this year. I'm gonna graduate in two years, I am three months late in learning to drive, I have no idea what I want for my future, and my grades are slipping. I feel sometimes everyone I know that's my age are years ahead in maturity and experience. Life isnt fun right now, so thanks for the advice. I hope you find a stable job soon.

Wait, you're an undergrad two years away from graduation, and you're only 3 months behind learning to drive? Did you mean to say you're still in high school, or is the minimum driving age very high where you live?

Anyway, I would recommend trying to find at least a part-time job before graduating with a basic degree, even if doing so forces you to extend your undergraduate time by a year or so, and even if money is not a problem; like others have said, employers want to make sure you have some basic work experience, and are not a flake.

 

[MiskWisk]

I hate that "overqualified" bullcrap too.

Surely having someone who knows too much is better than someone who doesn't know enough?!

Now this I can answer! Generally, when employers say you are over-qualified, they feel that you are going to spend very little time actually working for them and that you are going to move on really soon. As a result, they just say "nope" to the application because they don't want to have to constantly re-hire for the same position.

OT: I am currently at University and suck at time management. That is my excuse. Also I took a year out of education and spent it working a zero hours contract at a Wilkinson warehouse so I have some cash saved up.

 

[lowtech redneck]

Do quiet low-skill jobs exist?

Are you a decent driver? Try to get a job driving a shipping or delivery truck, I've heard its practically the perfect low-skill job for introverts or people with anxiety disorders (sadly, I'm a terrible driver, myself).

 

[gunny1993]

I'm one of the few lucky ones at the moment who was able to get a job less than a week after Graduating. Part of it was probably thanks to having done a number of summers of work, as well as doing internships/classes that could help me stand out.

I'd add a tip, that if you want a job in industry, make sure you do internships in industries that have a large presence in your country ... Turns out experimental Neuroscience isn't exactly the same as what recruiters are looking for in the U.K XD

(Luckily I could give two fucks about industry, as i'm a university layabout by nature, 4 MORE YEARS (of education))

 

[joshuaayt]

Because there's a lot more people unemployed than there are available job positions, and also people tend to be unwilling to risk hiring someone without a lot of experience. I assume young people are expected to get a job from their rich industrialist parents/extended family, and use that experience to get new jobs? It's very unclear.

Not that I can really blame people for not wanting inexperienced employees, it's just that someone somewhere has to take the hit and teach you in the first place.

 

[the doom cannon]

It basically comes down to a combination of two things.
1) The 50 and 60 somethings aren't retiring because the 'recession' killed all their life savings, so they have no choice to keep working. This means there are fewer jobs opening up.
2) We are in the middle of the first generation of kids for whom college was the expectation, not the exception. This means there are a bigger number of people entering the hiring pool with advanced qualifications.

If I'm not mistaken, there's actually quite a few jobs in the blue collar lines of work. A lot of people with college degrees have loans to pay off, and that means they need a minimum income that is higher than what they would get in a position outside their field. I graduated last May in civil engineering, have applied for ~200 jobs all over the US, have gotten 4 interviews, and haven't gotten a single offer. Admittedly, ~100 of those jobs I applied for over the last 7 days, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[BeerTent]

"So, tell me. Working for us here at Secu-Gard Corp. How do you plan on getting around?"

"Oh, I have a bike. I cycle from place to place."

"... - Y-you what?"

"You know, pedal bike? heh heh. City's not the most friendly to us, but I can get around."

"Aauuhm. O-okay... W-what about inclimate weather?"

"Oh, it's really not that bad. My tires can handle it, and I got a new visor. If things get REALLY bad and I don't feel safe, then the taxies or busses will still run."

"..."

"Uhm...?"

"So, no car?"

"No..."

"We'll let you know in a week or so."

Two months later... Apparently they regret to inform me of something, but I'm out riding, and still looking for more local opportunities. As well as my fucks. I appear to of misplaced them.

 

[Auron225]

My case in particular; I'm doing a university placement as a teacher atm, and I'll be a qualified teacher by summer. Two problems regarding possible employment though;

1) There are jack all jobs going for teachers of any subject or calibre here right now (Good job budget cuts)
2) I'm not sure I even want to be a teacher anymore.

Technically both of those problems could solve each other but I'm not sure I'd call it best case scenario.

 

[floppylobster]

Why are so many of you guys unemployed?

Because we played video games too much.

 

[laggyteabag]

Choo Choo!

All aboard the unemployment train!

It is just difficult sometimes to find the perfect balance of a job that you enjoy, a job that pays well, and a job that will give you a future. I have an interview next week for an apprenticeship, but I am certainly not overly sure how it is going to work out. It will tick the last box, because the qualifications will give me a shot at something bigger and better, but it being an apprenticeship, it certainly wont tick the second box, and I am unsure if it will be something that I enjoy. That being said, I count myself lucky. I know people that would kill for this kind of opportunity, so I would be daft to turn it down.

Good luck to all of you that are still looking, it really does suck trying to find something.

 

[Pr0]

I'm self employed but...the hours suck and the money is not fantastic. Trying to get people to pay what a contract is worth is like pulling teeth and theres always someone ready to undercut you as well.

I work every day of the week, sometimes 16 hours a day. I'd make more as a McDonald's manager, and I'd have health insurance, the only upside to being self employed is that I'm at least, not unemployed...and not having to be a McDonald's manager because there are no fucking jobs anywhere that use my particular expertise.

 

[Chancie]

Be afraid, be very afraid! Sorry but that's reality for you.

Chance are those who are umemployed here are unemployed due to the excuse "lack of experience" which itself is a vicious cycle. The whole point of having a job is to gain experience but they won't hire you if you don't have the experience for it!

Yep, my thoughts exactly. I'm not unemployed, but the job I do have, I've been in for a while just for the fact that it's my only experience. Nowhere else wants to take me, sadly. The lack of experience just repeats itself, and you're totally stuck once you're there, until or unless you get lucky.
I'm guessing this is a lot of the reason here people are unemployed, same as everywhere else, I'm sure. You'll find it everywhere you look, not just on a forum, sadly.

 

[Dizchu]

Do quiet low-skill jobs exist?

Are you a decent driver? Try to get a job driving a shipping or delivery truck, I've heard its practically the perfect low-skill job for introverts or people with anxiety disorders (sadly, I'm a terrible driver, myself).

I never learned to drive for a number of reasons. Probably not very good ones either. But you make a good point, delivering things means lots of alone time in the car which sounds better than working behind a bar or at a check-out. Depends if you're really comfortable driving though.

I can't speak for anyone else here but *I* have trouble finding a job when I'm unemployed because I'm pretty sure (though I'm not gonna self-diagnose) there's a chemical imbalance upstairs. Like, is there a word for when you KNOW you have to call to check up on your application but you just can't because you feel like you're gonna start crying? Or you just curl up and say "Nah, it's pointless. you're just gonna have to work until you die and everyone dies" and turn into a misanthropic nihilist? (legitimately asking here)

I understand. As much as I'd love to contribute something worthwhile to society that a robot could not, I just do not want to be immersed in this world of cynical marketing buzzwords and running in a hamster wheel just to buy a bunch of pointless things and gain experience points to level up my career. I am just not a very competitive person and that just kills much of my ambition and enthusiasm for job searching. I missed a job search meeting once and almost broke down because I thought I was incompetent at keeping schedules. Though I shouldn't be too hard on myself because they changed the date and time at relatively short notice. But it's that kind of demand that makes me really nervous. At the end of the day I just feel incompetent because I keep second-guessing and worrying about things. I had a hard enough time applying for university. I have a hard enough time phoning my careers advisor.

Eventually the job search guys recommended that I see a doctor about mental health stuff so I did and they ignored me and put me on pills... great. There's a weird parallel between finding a job and getting referred to a psychiatrist.

 

[soren7550]

While I technically have two jobs, they're off the books and at best I get work once a week. I can't afford to feed myself, clothe myself, or house myself.

Lost my only real job because it was seasonal and the manager didn't feel like trying to pawn me off to another store. It's extremely difficult to get work due to my increasingly spiraling depression and poor work history, and because it's January (places are firing people now that the holiday season is over, not hiring).