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Today is the day that George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, releases details of his latest spending cuts.
It is fair to say that when the coalition took power in 2010, Osborne did not anticipate having to make more new cuts by 2013.
The country was supposed to be growing strongly by now, as public sector shrinkage through the axe would naturally lead to more private sector activity.
A young jobseeker, Ceri Padley, has written a blog on her experience of being sanctioned.
She attended a job interview, telling a Jobcentre representative about it in advance as she would miss her regular signing on day, but on the day she was told to come to the Jobcentre its staff were all on strike.
She was shocked to find that she had been sanctioned for failing to attend on her appointed day, losing benefits for four weeks.
The stupidity of this action is breathtaking.
The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the trade body for employment support providers, has just released its own figures on the performance of the Work Programme.
They show some improvement in the overall number of unemployed people getting jobs, with a third now entering work, although the number sustaining work for at least six months was not publicised after a January report showed only 3.6% managed this.
Full employment should be a key aim of the country.
Both Labour and Conservative parties used to support it, but both have since decided that it is better to leave all ideas of job creation to the free market.
And where has that got us?
Unemployment near 8%, and around 5% even during the boom years.
Full employment is not a rate of 0%, as people will always be moving between jobs, they may have short periods of unemployment due to changes in their lives, companies will occasionally go bust etc.
Work experience is something that lots of young people worry about; whether they worry about not having enough experience, when to do it or not getting any at all. More and more employers will expect some sort of work experience for entry-level jobs, either through part-time paid work or an unpaid placement or internship in the relevant industry. So how do you go about getting work experience?
When to apply?
The government has today announced details of the 'support' available for those leaving the Work Programme.
It will target those leaving the scheme with a "hit squad" - the government's words - of specialist advisers, who will confront them with "the toughest Jobcentre regime" and a binding back-to-work plan if they fail to find sustained work after their standard two years' attendance.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) puts out press releases on behalf of the government, and today's shows how important it is for the government and civil service to be separated properly.
The unemployment figures put out today were horrendous. Higher unemployment for the third month in a row, lower employment by 43,000, economic inactivity up, and a halving of average pay increases to 0.4% over the last year while inflation stands at 2.8%.
So how did the DWP press release headline this car crash?
'More vacancies available in the UK than at any time since 2008'
LinkedIn is an invaluable job-hunting tool, not just for new job-seekers but also for seasoned professionals. The recruitment process is evolving alongside the rapid developments in technology, with many recruiters now searching for candidates through social media. It is vital that job-hunters keep up with these trends and if you aren’t LinkedIn, you’re "locked out".
