Removing Myself from the Latest Unemployment Figures

The fortnightly trip to the Jobcentre rolled round yet again to scribble my signature on a piece of paper in order to get the pittance. Our local Jobcentre is a very depressing place, with a staff who could do with learning how to be nice to people. Luckily for us, we have a rather nice guy who seems to like having us in, actually provides the help the Jobcentre constantly blows it's trumpet about, but in reality fails to deliver and in general, is quite sympathetic to our situation. The rest of the staff seem to treat us as no better than scum - as in how dare we have the audacity to graduate right in the middle of a recession. From the perspective of someone who studied Sociology and might actually know what they're talking about, I think this attitude sucks. It can be detrimental to a person's confidence, so how the heck can they be expected to find a job if someone who's meant to be helping them treats them like crap?

Also, there appears to be the tendency to get folk on the books into any old shite job, that will more than likely result in said person back at the Jobcentre and going through the whole farrago again within months. I talk from experience on that one. It seems to be, to use a cliche, a case of using a cheap plaster from the cornershop to mend a huge gash. I also find it interesting that I make enquiries from time to time to other members of staff (as in the advisers, or those who see themselves as God, and not the folk who just get you to sign) about some of the schemes the Jobcentre likes to boast about, such as Training For Work, WorkTrial etc, and I'm essentially told to shut up because they're not going to help me with that. I think that is what we can call not doing your job properly.

I can understand that working in a Jobcentre and dealing with the mass unemployed isn't the most easiest job in the planet. Probably not the nicest job in the planet, as not everyone you deal with will be nice to you. But at the same time, is it not important to remember that the folk you are meant to help are in fact people, not statistics, who have their own needs, dreams and plans for the future? I'll happily agree with the maxim there are those who like to scrounge of the state, but is this not the minority rather than the majority? It appears to me that this is the attitude of certain Jobcentre staff I've encountered. Some of us, like me, would much rather be supporting themselves through work than having to sign on.