THE federal government has justified its new work-dole policies by saying that forcing the unemployed to apply for 40 jobs a month will keep them “motivated”.
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And Assistant employment minister Luke Hartsuyker stated the obvious yesterday when he said it was unlikely that job seekers would find work by sitting around at home.
The government has made the sweeping and incorrect conclusion that if you do not have a job, then obviously you do not want to work.
That may be true for a small percentage of people, but making a broad generalisation about the jobless ignores the fact that the vast majority relying on unemployment benefits would dearly love to find work.
The government also wants to get some value out of the unemployed, with working for the dole mandatory for any job-seeker aged under 50.
There will also be wage subsidies for mature-age workers, young job-seekers and the long-term unemployed.
Of course there is merit in some of these initiatives.
But a demand from job-seekers for 40 applications a month is too onerous, and an impossible task for anyone living outside of a metropolitan environment.
