Are Job Centres working?

The UK’s Job Centres are not working, it has been alleged, which could lead to difficulties in the recruitment market.

A recent survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) revealed that the centres were ineffective and needed to be reformed if the thousands of Britons currently unemployed were to find work.

“With unemployment set to rise to three million by the end of the year and the number of under-25s on jobseeker’s allowance having risen by 80 per cent in the past year, it is clear that urgent action is needed,” the report urged.

John Wright, national chairman of the FSB, said that members of the group feel “let down” by the service and that despite smaller firms being the country’s biggest employers, it was felt more funding went to larger organisations.

The news comes after the Monster 2009 Employment Index revealed that overall online job demand has declined, although increases were noted in the HR sector.