Unemployment hits record high
Thursday 23rd June 2011, 2:59PM BST.
The head of the Statistics Unit, Duncan Gibaut
THERE are new fears about Jersey’s economy today after unemployment figures hit a record high.
The seasonally-adjusted unemployment figure, which takes account of monthly trends in the number of people out of work, is the highest that it has been since the Statistics Unit’s records began.
And according to the States’ chief statistician Dr Duncan Gibaut, it may be at its highest since the early 1980s.
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Just about everybody is saying that the UK need a more balanced economy and that applies to Jersey too. Jersey has all its eggs in the ‘finance industry’ basket and the arrangement is just not working.
Well done CoM, will you turn the lights off before you leave?
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1600 by year end.
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Yes , we know it is all going down hill, and we stopped believing in all the rubbish coming from the States members, as we get a different stories everyday.
They are useless and abused the system for too long now.
We are all paying for their extravaganza.
We should buy them a poster saying: money doesn’t grow on trees followed by a calculator and some instructions on how to use it…
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yes , usualy there is loads of work in the summertime, wait till the winter comes , more chairs for social in la motte street.
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@#3
Elections are in October. Choose wisely my friend or it will be more of the same.
Beware of the phrases “safe pair of hands”, “proven track record” or ” I’ll oppose any increase in GST”. If you hear all three you are listening to a phoney.
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Is this a true figure or is this the figure that are claiming income support due to being out of work…..???? As I am unemployed and NOT income support as I have a LITTLE saving but every other Tom,Dick and Harry are being looked after by the state, even though I have paid my dues for the last 27 years…. and I can bet I am not in that number…please state actual number?????
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and stiil they keep coming by the bus load all the way across europe.
its about time we closed the door and looked after our own for a change .
we are not members of the EU so let EU countries look after their own and we will look after ours.
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You have to allow for the quiet shake outs going on in the finance industry as well.
The fact is that huge structural problems exist in the world economy post 2007 and they are not going to go away any time soon.
The States are sitting around pretending that Jersey is fine when we are stuck in the same leaky boat as all the rest.
Salary stagnation and rising food and fuel prices are gnawing away at middle Jersey.
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@6 Mo – nobody knows the true number, that is the scary thing. How can we plan to deal with the problem if we do not know the extent of it? What is also scary is the complete absence of political will to face this issue head on, as it will, in the short term only be bad news. With elections approaching, no one wants to be the bringer of that..
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More lazy locals opting to live on benefits. – It will be 2,000 befor long.
Income support really needs to be reduced to a level that motivates people to go out and earn a living.
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To understand better why we are in such a mess one need look no further than this advertisement for a Trainee Trust Administrator placed by AP Personnel which is typical of many others that I have seen over the past decade:
http://www.jerseyinsight.com/Classifieds/Jobs/Trust/Trainee-Trust-Administrator/
Minimum requirement is “a degree with a 2:1 classification or above” so that rules out people like myself as I don’t have a degree… HOWEVER FOR THE PAST ELEVEN YEARS I HAVE HAD A JFSC QUALIFICATION IN TRUST AND COMPANY ADMINISTRATION WHICH TOOK TWO YEARS TO OBTAIN AT MY OWN EXPENSE. And did my industry-approved qualification ever get me any work? Yes- just over a year’s employment in the trust industry ending in 2001- a decade ago. I gave up looking for trust company employment years ago as it was obvious that all the employment agencies (who control most trust co. vacancies) were deliberately not considering my applications on its merits, while at the same time they WERE forwarding candidates with absolutely no prior experience or likely aptitude for this type of work- and very often these successful candidates were not locally-qualified.
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Why not include the number of unemployed in the shortened article? It is rather the point of it!!
It’s 1340 by the way.
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To add to the worry, these figures are wrong.
I suggest that the actual number of unemployed is far greater than that reported as many who are unemployed, like myself, have not registered as unemployed and therefore are not included in these statistics.
To Jerry Gosselin – Thanks for the laugh. I have worked in the finance industry for 25 years and I have yet to come across a trainee administrator with a degree, most start their careers barely having attained some GCSE’s.
This new entry criteria should at least help the immigrants from Eastern Europe get a foot on the ladder, as a lot of them do indeed possess a degree or two, thanks to the old communist regimes. The five year rule won’t be a problem as finance houses do not appear to have any problems getting licences for those who have not been here the required 5 years.
Now before anybody shouts racist or worse, I have no problem with people wherever they come from, I was a blow in myself 27 years ago. What I do have a problem with is the lack of any effective immigration control to protect jobs for residents in these difficult economic times.
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@10 Dave
I have a friend on income support, he scrapes by on cheap iceland food. Yet he still volunteers for a charity and works part time everyday for free to boost his CV to help him get paid work.
How would reducing his income support motivate him further? Ridiculous.
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#11: Jerry, the clue here is that they’ve not stipulated what the degree must be in! They just put this up as they want someone to apply with a certain aptitude, and don’t want to waste their time with some grunt who can’t string a sentence together.
With your qualification, you could absolutely apply for that job and get it.
Skip the middle man, get a list of some companies you’d like to work for and speak to the HR department directly. Look on their websites for a recruitment page.
Having said that, if you’ve been out the game for a decade, then it sounds like you must have found yourself a different career…
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Dave (10) More lazy locals opting to live on benefits
Dave get your head out of that bucket and look at the real world. Do you know all the 1,600 claimants? Hardly likely. Even the Social Security Department has only two enforcement officers, so they are unlikely to know. Then you have Mo (6) who is unemployed and not on the register, there will be many more like Mo. Then there is the other Mark at (10), the diligent unemployed.
Pip (8) is nearer the truth than the CoM dare admit. As I pointed out at (1), the Jersey economy is skewed, in trouble and the CoM is not being honest with the electorate.
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Loco
‘They just put this up as they want someone to apply with a certain aptitude, and don’t want to waste their time with some grunt who can’t string a sentence together’
Despite ample evidence on these pages to the contrary – assuming that some are not pretending to be working in finance!
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Fed up of this island and those politicians !! life become more expensive !!! you have to work 15 hours every day to feed your kids and pay your social security, your taxes, rent for greedy locals. Just got my quallies this year. one more year here and im moving : I want real and fair life for me and my family.
Why people are fat ? crappy food . best food is too expensive and politicians are hypocrites !!! what they want to do of this island ? a financial center for rich people ? if yes then tell everybody face to face and not bringing shitty shops like iceland and pushing businesses to put price up for food and everything. A year ago I already said that Jersey was going a reallly bad way for everybody , i was right . Its getting worst and worst !! an advice to people, leave Jersey before its too late!!!
Lets leave the richs together and tourism will stop and life will be crap!!
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Pip I believe you are correct that there have been quiet layings off. My neighbour was one such person. Their whole section had the plug pulled on it.
As for the European economy it is in dire straits. The US doesn’t look much better either.
I believe the current siutation in Jersey has similarities to the Titanic on its maiden voyage. That was talked up by many at the time. Even when it hit the iceberg the captain (person in charge) was still talking up the situation. Only later did the true extent of the problem become known.
I would say the true figure is much higher than given, as I know of some who haven’t bothered registering as they don’t see the point. There are few jobs out there at the present due to downsizing, relocating etc. Would any government tell their people how bad things really were with only 5 months to go before the elections if they didn’t have to? The term spin is well known now and it is expected of governments.
The problem with eggs in one basket is becoming more and more glaringly obvious.
The way things are going in Jersey could be aptly represented by the term death spiral in my opinion.
Nevermind the next chief minister still thinks Jersey is well positioned….
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‘Just got my quallies this year. one more year here and im moving’
Bit of a wasted effort then, greg.
It’s a shame that unwanted ‘quallies’ can’t be sold on.
Now, there’s an idea for the States to consider. A quick way to enable the rich and successful to move in. Oops. Sorry, I forgot about the J cat loophole!
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@11 – I’m afraid if you have only managed 1 years work in trust and company in the past 11, despite being professionally qualified, something else is holding you back. The simple fact of the matter is, up to about 2008 employers were so desperate they would hire anything with a pulse providing it had spent 5 years on the Island. I suggest you pursue other career options or speak to a recruitment consultant about how you come across at interview.
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It looks like they are trying everything they can to get rid of the poor and bring in the rich.
@20 , not J cat but 1K is the free pass for the rich. (J cat cost a lot the employer to get)
0/10 is a way to attract them.
The rich pay as much tax as the middle class.
The fact of living on a beautiful island with lower tax then the UK should be enough to bring them in.
Discrimination is a current practice in Jersey but unfortunately we need the rich for the local economy.
It is a shame that they do not contribute a bit more towards the overspending of the Sates as the working class is obliged to tighten their belts a lot more these days.
Paying more taxes to keep the rich happy and caring for the ones on benefits is getting frustrating.
Not doing anything to control, food and energy prices shows that they do not care of the lower classes.
It is a disgrace in my opinion to know that energy prices are going up by: 7%, 2 months after:20 % and 4 months later another 15%…..
No pay rise with GST is the icing on the cake!
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A major part of the unemployment problem and therefore the immigration problem, is that too large a proportion of scholars are not properly prepared for work, either academically or attitudinally, at school. All they are trained for is exam passing; common sense, work ethic and presentation are sadly lacking.
I will add that obviously this does not apply to all and over the years I have employed many school leavers who were diligent and a pleasure to employ, but many of the applicants were abysmal, without a clue.
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#11 That kind of criterion is utterly disgusting, but it is occuring in the UK a lot, especially within the public sector. They stupidly believe that A degree (and I really mean any degree) goes to show that you have the ability to learn and use knowledge. However, some degrees are a joke, nevermind that someone with a 1st could prove to be utterly useless due to lack of experience. Also, some degrees simply teach you to regurgitate information, and that is not what I would ever want in an employee, surely businesses want people capable of thinking for themselves and applying knowledge to real situations? I have always employed people on the basis that experience is the preferred option. At the very least the requirement should be “a 2:1 or evidence of equivalent knowledge through experience”.
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Have a look at Guernsey right to work in Guernsey law and let me know if you think their system is better i believe it is.
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The social problems that go with long term unemployment will start to really hit soon.
Crime along with drug and alcohol problems are already on the rise.
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“To Jerry Gosselin – Thanks for the laugh. I have worked in the finance industry for 25 years and I have yet to come across a trainee administrator with a degree, most start their careers barely having attained some GCSE’s.” – Jon (13)
Try reading my comment at No. 11 again Jon. You back up the point I was making that historically, agencies would forward candidates for junior roles in trust & co administration who had no real aptitude for the work. However, whilst doing so, they were also deliberately ignoring candidates like myself who had already gained a benchmark standard qualification.
The problem I was highlighting (about employers in 2011 insisting on paper qualifications that are way beyond what is actually required to do the job) seems to be increasingly rampant across all industries. Here is another current vacancy advertised by Social Security for a KITCHEN PORTER:
http://www.gov.je/Working/JobCareerAdvice/Pages/JobDetails.aspx?JobID=31502
Not only must you have “Previous experience in food preparation in a similar busy kitchen environment” and a “Level 2 certificate in food and hygiene” but the company is looking for someone with “good GCSE grades” and “possible A level qualifications”. It would be very interesting to know how much the company is paying its kitchen porters to justify such high standards.
As a consumer, I am all in favour of higher standards amongst staff who prepare food. That said, how many local unemployed would actually satisfy the strict criteria asked for here? Unless they had some prior experience in a similar role then the answer would seem to be VERY FEW… and yet this is one of the least glamorous jobs anyone in Jersey could aspire to.
Something must be wrong here. The anonymous bigots who post derogatory messages on this site about the unemployed always seem to be implying that this is the type of job that they should be doing but are refusing to do. Increasingly, the evidence is suggesting otherwise.
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This is what happens in an island which is over run with immigrants. The link is obvious to all except the politicians.
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If people come to Jersey looking for work then they should leave when the work runs out. Otherwise we end up with a growing, ageing population with out of date skills.
We should stop paying income support to anybody without housing qualifications.
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I’ll tell you a story. It is about a Customer with malfunctioning car and a Mechanic:
Customer: My car engine seems to be not functioning as usual. It lost its power, developed problems with starting, driving uphill, etc.
Mechanic: OK, no problem. Let’s freeze its engine.
C: Freeze the engine??? Will this help?
M: Well, it will not solve engine’s problems or help the car, but it will help you.
C: ???
M: Of course. Short term it could mean a sacrifice. Long term it means sustainability. Imagine – soon you will be able to make 15 mile distance to your work place on your foot in almost no time. And there are more long-term benefits for the community as well – soon you will also be able to carry your lazy neighbour on your back to the town! Isn’t it really great solution?
Got it? Or you don’t have a car?
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29, an enlightened attitude from a native. See you next Tuesday.
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#26 Remember that the rate of crime also goes up with increasing population (especially in urban areas), as do general health problems and mental health problems (which will include drug abuse since some sufferers of mental health problems ‘self-medicate’ in the early stages).
#29 While I get where you are coming from, not everybody without quallies came here for work and your idea would penalise Jersey-born people for falling in love with non Jersey-born people. In a population of only 100,000, unintentional side effects like limiting the gene pool should really be avoided.
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Good one at 31. As you rightly acknowledge, the whole point of the licence is that the person coming in does a particualar job. When the work ends, so does the licence. The states don’t sit this Tuesday, I am afraid, although, like you, I look forward to its approval of the Wimberley proposition. Fingers crossed, no doubt by all Jersey people!
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@ 32 – Come now Leah, the ‘inbreeding’ argument is a little bit tedious. The Hardy-Weinberg principle should be meaty enough reading for you.
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ANd the COM minister’s solution, through another 500 public sector workers on to the lot.
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