Cutting unemployment would improve healthcare service and fund fight against climate change

[gettafa]

Manx Radio

I'm not sure what is meant by this. Is Chris Thomas saying the money spent on benefits could be better spent on healthcare and erm, the fight against climate change?  

Or is he saying that people who work are healthier and will cost the healthcare service less and won't damage the climate? Or what?

It is politician's bullshit.

And is the phrase "climate change" the new buzz phrase.

Personally I reckon say, cutting grants to fat cat landowners (I'm looking at you Tubby) would be better spent on healthcare and erm, the fight against climate change.

 

 

[RIchard Britten]

There have been successful tests to show that sorting unemployment/homelessness has net benefits to healthcare and policing costs in those areas.

 

[Non-Believer]

Cutting unemployment will only be achieved by a) executing the unemployed or b) by managing the economy in a fashion that promotes growth and the creation of jobs (n.b. as in private sector jobs not tax-payer-funded job creation for mates and empires in the civil service and government)

Mr Thomas and Co. aren't doing either at the moment. I predict another rise in the unemployment figures for November too and possibly coming months as well. Things are starting to bite.

[hissingsid]

Around 300 people unemployed is hardly a disaster when you look at population numbers.   How much money will it cost pursuing this new blurb by Thomas.   Is there nothing this man will not get his fingers into with no results...ever.

[Donald Trumps]

Maybe government could instigate a non-compulsory 'countering climate change' work scheme 

[the stinking enigma]

Of these 300 unemployed how many would be capable or qualified enough to have jobs where they earn enough to be paying tax in the first place?

[Andy Onchan]

1 hour ago, Non-Believer said:

I predict another rise in the unemployment figures for November too and possibly coming months as well. Things are starting to bite.

Hence this latest push.....he knows IOMG will come under pressure in the coming months as more jobs go off-Island in the e-gaming sector. He's saying it now (although it's already too late) so that he can say later..... "well, we did tell you".  

[Roger Mexico]

42 minutes ago, the stinking enigma said:

Of these 300 unemployed how many would be capable or qualified enough to have jobs where they earn enough to be paying tax in the first place?

Most of them to be honest.  We know that because a lot of them find a job within the month.  If you look at the latest Labour Market Report from October it says:

Quote

124 persons signed onto and 112 persons left the register over the month. The net movement was a increase of 12 persons on the register between October 2019 and September 2019

So at least a third of even that very low figure is 'churn', people on the register for a couple of days or weeks between jobs and possibly with a start date for the new one already.  In fact only 140 of the 332 on the register have been out of work for more than three months and only 43 for more than one year (see p 10).  There is very little long-term unemployment (as such) on the Island 

[Merkin]

An unemployment rate of 0.7% is dangerously low.  Businesses are struggling to find staff.  The people who aren't working clearly aren't able or refuse to work.

[Non-Believer]

Perhaps the majority of vacancies have skills or experience requirements that are not possessed by the 300 odd unemployed? Such as what appears to be a large number of vacancies (still) in e-gaming requiring software developers etc. Although there will always be low skilled vacancies in hospitality etc.

Does anybody carry out assessment of the skills levels of the unemployed to match them to vacancies? Or are they just left to their own devices and expected to look for what suits them? Or do nothing at all?

[english zloty]

4 hours ago, Merkin said:

An unemployment rate of 0.7% is dangerously low.  Businesses are struggling to find staff.  The people who aren't working clearly aren't able or refuse to work.

Unable to work is the majority. Also folk drop off because they have to and then register again as soon as possible. Fudging the figures like. 

[Derek Flint]

12 hours ago, MrPB said:

Unless you’re a Mandarin speaker or able to meet other specialist requirements the jobs that are advertised are somewhat illusory anyway. Hardly any of the jobs advertised at the job centre are for actual Manx people. Lots of Manx unemployed not claiming benefits and can’t find anything either. 

It’s an interesting dilemma. There are likely 70 “unskilled” jobs across this lot, in cleaning, laboring and hospitality.

https://services.gov.im/job-search/results?AreaId=&ClassificationId=&SearchText=&LastThreeDays=False&JobHoursOption=

[Non-Believer]

And how many of those "70" are duplicate or more advertisements through multiple placements by different agencies?

You'll be upsetting Chris and Laurence pointing stuff like this out..... 

ETA. Examiner front page today announces further FS job losses, this time at Equiom.

[hampsterkahn]

 

Apart from the unusual situation where losing your job improves  you health  by stopping  your daily  exposure to a dangerously toxic workplace, unemployment has a bad effect on health.

Hardly a surprise, and studies each decade since the 1930’s have clearly shown this as well  as Mr Thomas’s statement from the  “Department of Stating the Bleedin Obvious”.

But he leaps a step  further though, throwing   in  “climate change ‘  as part a  universal “It’s a win win, really” .That’s  glib simplistic politic-speak.

Using resources to help people who are unemployed has moral, ethical, heath and economic imperatives.

Being realistic, however, there will be a “diminishing  returns “ effect:

Moderate  expenditure will have noticeable and very beneficial effects  ; to reduce it further will take a lot, lot more - and increasingly more, until we get  to the the last few unemployed.To get  them in gainful employment and proudly claim “zero” has been achieved, would need huge input of resources.Any benefits for climate change” would have long gone.

 

 

 

[Max Power]

There's a lot of work in getting some people to do any kind work, some people are actually unemployable for a variety of reasons. 

As for climate change, are there hidden benefits for this in every government activity now?