A Centrelink officer told me some time ago that if you work ONE hour a week you are not classified as unemployed, so you don't count in the statistics. I would be interested to see what the unemployment rate would be if the employment figures were converted to full time work.

I have been out of work for a while now. I applied for hundreds of jobs, even Australia-wide, and even outside of my trade, yet have not been able to secure employment. Can anyone explain why I am to be classified as a dole bludger? There is age discrimination and race also comes into the picture. Then we have many skilled migrants entering the country taking up jobs we could easily fill, but they have better experience. Maybe the political parties should start looking after Australians who vote them in.

But all they do is a popularity contest.

pluther,
you're not classified as a dole bludger if you're looking for work.

pluther,
you're not classified as a dole bludger if you're looking for work.

Well said INDI

Now pluther, it is very hard to imagine how anyone can apply for 'hundreds' of jobs and not secure one.

A few things I look for in a job seeker.

Neat and tidy, looking like they actually want a job, rather than fulfilling their obligations for centrelink.

I have many who come up to the counter, dressed in their sunday best, you know, thongs, boardies and a singlet and ask "any work goin bloke".

Another turn off in my industry is huge amounts of 'tats'.

Now you say you have even tried outside your trade. Well you must have an unusual trade, cause most trades are screaming out for workers. In QLD we have the likes of 'all trades QLD'. May I suggest you try one of these types of agencies in your state.

Now if you are considered 'old' which I am by the way, then you should have very valuable knowledge as they simply don't teach skills like they used to in our days, so you may well be able to pursue a role within the tafe system. There are many courses available to assist here.

A final option is to volunteer your services in a disaster area.

You see, most of these projects are overseen by tradies and, if they spot someone who is a 'stand out', then that can often lead to a real job.

Good luck.

Pluther, I studied full-time - dual degree, so five subjects a semester instead of the usual four. I also either learnt a lot or already knew it, as my GPA was 6.8. The trade-off was a lack of sleep for those years.

spot someone who is a 'stand out', then that can often lead to a real job.
rehctub,
Yep ! Even better would be a civilian type of National Service. I fear though that for many it is asking too much to put in some effort for the life ahead. Much more moral to hang around & wait for assistance. Even easier is to get a BA in some backward Uni & expect that the people around you owe you a living because you're so intelligent with your degree.

There seems to be a common thread to all arguments against the legendary 'dole bludger'; that it is morally and ethically wrong for anyone to get something for nothing.
I have to admit, I have some sympathy for this viewpoint. I have long suggested anyone who wishes to claim unemployment benefits should be able to enrol in school of TAFE studies, and be paid an hourly rate, dependent on results.
But as for getting something for nothing, isn't that exactly what investors do? You get paid once, say for the work you do, then get paid again for putting that same money in a bank, building society or trust, etc.
Isn't this really a classic example of what accountants call 'double dipping'? (making 2 claims on the same item).
The argument against getting something for nothing is that it breaks the laws of physics. It has to come from somewhere. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out where interest takers get their money from.
It is, and has ever been the poor who subsidise the rich. Never the other way around.
As to a better system, we have tried Communism and Capitalism, and both have failed. Make no mistake, the USA will join the Soviet Union in economic extinction within the next few years.
The most promising -if not only- synthesis must be “cooperativism”, if I may use that term. The Mondragon experiment seems largely successful, and has certainly achieved about the only 'narrowing of the gap' (between rich and poor) of any system anywhere in the world -apart from other cooperatives.