Is anyone surprised?

This story appeared today on the BBC news website - "Swansea firm frustrated at system after job advert".  While the employer in Swansea was frustrated, few "job-seekers" will be surprised.  Why were people from as far away as Glasgow and Peterborough applying for warehouse jobs in Swansea?  The account doesn't mention that the jobs were on UJM, but we can assume that they were.  Perhaps they were coming up as local jobs, even to those many miles away, because that's what happens.  Certainly, of the 100 applicants many would simply be applying because they had to, with no intention of moving from, say, Glasgow, in order to take the job.  The story suggests that there were no more unemployed people in Swansea, which is unlikely.  We are not told anything about the jobs or the pay.  Nor are we told whether the people she short-listed were then told that they couldn't claim the costs of attending the interview.  A spokesperson for the DWP (must be a woman, or they wouldn't have used that term) said the usual things about "tough new penalties" for those failing to turn up for interviews.
A curious thing about this story is that it assumes that it's the jobcentres which are responsible, when it's more likely to be Work Programme providers.  But one thing you can be certain of - the system of forcing people to apply for a quota of jobs won't change.

It's all gone quiet

The dust has apparently settled. The media have lost interest. The MPs are still on holiday so no one is asking questions. There is no news about contracts. A4e bosses can breathe easily for a while. And they can focus on pushing their public image as a local company involved in local schemes to "improve people's lives". Last weekend, for instance, they were at a community carnival in Swansea. Why? Well, the MP was there. They've also been working at a primary school in Edinburgh; at least, a group of ETF (Environmental Task Force) clients have. And in Gloucester they have "organised" a networking conference. I say "organised" in inverted commas, because if you look closely it's clear that it's Premier Inns who are paying. "We are looking to work with city partners to promote our Employability Skills Provision in the city" says Kevin Kelway. Ignore all the bad publicity. It's business as usual. And if you're looking for work, why not work for A4e? They're looking for people in London. Here's the advert.