Have you ever received unemployment benefits?

[Furiey]

I almost certainly will have to sign on shortly as I'm being made redundant. I will need to sign on to get my national insurance paid even if i can't claim any money.

 

[Arwon]

Yeah, I was shifted from Youth Allowance (student benefits) to Newstart (jobseeker benefits) after graduating. I already had a job lined up, but needed financial support in the 6 month interim.

As it turned out, I got another job within a month which I started without telling them I was planning to quit at the end of last year. Didn't leave on great terms.

I don't think the system is "broken" or whatever.

 

[Grisu]

I've been on unemployment benefits directly after graduating for roughly 3 months.

I think the system in itself isn't bad the way we have it here. I was happy when I could get off the dole, though

 

[Karalysia]

My family has yes, for about a year.

 

[BCLG100]

No, never had to sign on. Apart from 6 months or so between leaving university and finding a job, I've always either been in FT education or FT work. I think the system we have at the moment is actually pretty good. It's designed to help people find work.

I found out recently that students could claim it as well during there summer holidays. Didn't help me so much as my immediate uni career had finished but i might look into it this summer!

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

No. I live in the North West of England which has 100% employment to keep the scoungers on benefit (who mainly live sub-Birmingham).

 

[Gabryel Karolin]

I once signed in and gave them all the documents they wanted, it was juts after I graduated. I was lucky enough to find something very soon after that though, so I didn't actually receive any money from them.

Its OK to receive this kind of help for short periods of time, imo.

 

[luiz]

I never have received any money from the government. The bastards don't give me even a Tax Refund!

Its OK to receive this kind of help for short periods of time, imo.

It may surprise many here, but I agree. This benefit should be availabe for a few months, but it should stop after a few months. It can't be a way of life. And it should be a modest benefit, that is, a little less than what one would make flipping burgers.

 

[JerichoHill]

They are still unemployed, it just takes them off the figures and its supposed to put you in work based training with the potential to get a job at the end of it. But if you're a small business with ten jobseekers working for you and you recieve money from the government for each one, why employ any of them when you can just wait a couple of months for them to leave and get some new ones (personal experience).
Its just so the government can say unemployment has decreased.

3 Words.

You're Wrong.

Hysteresis

 

[storealex]

No why should I? I have two arms and two legs. I've been unemployed though, but didn't feel like I should take from the state when I could just work if I wanted money. Eventually, I ran out of money and got a new job, but I never even considdered taking from those who worked.

 

[bathsheba666]

Yes, during uni vacations back in 73-76.

I had worked in a factory before going to uni, so i was better off - on earnings related entitlement - in the vacations than i was on a student grant in term time.

Then, for about 7 months after being made redundant from noxious corporation A, back in 94.

Again, sometime in the next 9 years, for an indeterminate period after being made redundant by potentially-noxious corporation D. Next one will probably be the big one.

 

[Oruc]

3 Words.

You're Wrong.

Hysteresis

I have have no understanding of what I am reading

 

[shadow2k]

Never received unemployment checks. To me, it would be embarassing that I could not provide for myself.

My boss has two brothers who are both on unemployment, and have been for a couple years now. They don't try and look for work, they just sit at home playing video games and drinking every day. From what I'm told, they take in very good money doing it as well. When he told me how much money they get, I asked him to fire me!

Everyone I have known that has ever been on unemployment takes advantage of it, because there is no reason not to other than personal pride, and that seems non-existant for many people these days.

I hate the system. It pays way too much, for way too long. They should get minimum wage for 6 months tops. Want more? Go flip my burger.

Sounds cold, I know. But it really pisses me off how the system is abused, and I'm the one paying for it.

 

[GenMarshall]

Yes and current am collecting unemployment ATM.

 

[Formaldehyde]

No why should I? I have two arms and two legs. I've been unemployed though, but didn't feel like I should take from the state when I could just work if I wanted money. Eventually, I ran out of money and got a new job, but I never even considdered taking from those who worked.

In the US, it is essentially a form of insurance whose premiums you and your employer are required to pay. So why shouldn't you collect it if you are fired or laid off?

 

[Justo]

I was receiving unemployment benefits when I finished high school. Since my first job I haven't looked back and am hoping to not need it again. Its almost a part time job to be on unemployment in Australia and not worth the trouble if employment is available.

 

[QuoVadisNation]

No. But if it weren't my parents for that four months, I probably would have. But yeah, maybe it's different in other places but unemployment is not a picnic. Even if you have some kind of income or something, if you're not a bum then it's a terrible feeling.

Oddly enough, it was a personal connection that got me back into the work force. And that experience got me another job that I'm equally as grateful for.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Have you ever received unemployment benefits? Whatever you want to call it - The Dole, jobseekers allowance etc. - have you ever received it?

Government-wise? No. I do, however, often pocket all the change I get from doing my parent's shopping, among my family lending "business", and numerous other ways to skim money off the top. As I've never been employed and have never worked a day in my life, you could consider it "unemployment benefits."

I'm interested in people's attitudes to it in different countries. How do people view those ''on the dole'' in your country?

I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, most Americans don't seem to mind it provided the person is actually having hardship and seeking employment, and isn't just sucking resources up.

How do you feel about it?

It's one of the forms of welfare that's the hardest to argue against, simply for the fact it covers those dealt bad cards by fate, and has little to do with one's personal qualities of laziness, hard work, etc. I consider it to be one of the better forms of welfare, as it actually seems reasonable - caring for those who are down on their luck - rather than being based on insane concepts like "pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps(when you can't afford the bootstraps to begin with!)", or "give people everything", or "it's part of human rights."

How do we stop people abusing the system?

I'm no expert, but I imagine making sure it's managed by local governments, and funded by the higher governments(to ensure easy distribution of resources), helps to ensure there's plenty of funds to go around, but that every locale can easily adapt itself to manage the funds and weed out abuse. It's far easier for a city to reform it's methods of distribution and management than it is for an entire country or even a state/province.

Some would call it indoctrination, but I think a good way to reduce dependence and abuse of the welfare system in general is to impose a culture of generosity and hard work ethics on our children from a young age. Measures should also be taken to increase the parents' role in fostering this culture, so as to make sure welfare dependency does not pass from parent to child. Rather than just tackling unemployment benefits' possible issues, we should tackle all welfare's possible abuses, and one of the best ways isn't to change just the system, but the people themselves. You can't kill a weed by cutting off the top, after all.

Should there even be a system?

Many say welfare encourages irresponsibility and dependence. Possibly true.

However, unemployment benefits are one of the most easily-defendable welfare programs, for sake of the fact it often isn't your fault you're unemployed in the first place(despite deranged conservatives saying ANYBODY can find a job in a recession, where jobs are SHRINKING), and thus, it isn't so much you're irresponsible, but got dealed some bad cards by fate.

Caring for those who are genuinely misfortunate is very different from caring for those who just don't feel the need to try and be productive or make something of themselves.

 

[Formaldehyde]

I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, most Americans don't seem to mind it provided the person is actually having hardship and seeking employment, and isn't just sucking resources up.

Once again, in the US it is insurance which your employer was required by law to pay the premiums while you were employed. It is part of your employee benefits. You must have been employed a certain period of time before you can even qualify. It isn't welfare.

 

[Bill3000]

No, but my parents are right now.