Being on dole degrades us, say jobless

SIGNING on is dehumanising and degrading, there are few incentives to give up welfare benefits and job training courses are a waste of time, according to a survey of unemployed people.

Ministers’ salaries, welfare services and a range of health and psychological problems associated with unemployment were also highlighted in the nationwide research conducted by University College Dublin.

The insight into the lives of those on the dole also found many were reluctant to give up welfare benefits to take up part-time or low-paid work.

Experiences of the training agency Fás were also negative, with all of those surveyed saying they did not find work after completing courses. Training courses were seen as expensive and a waste of time.

Fás officers and workplace programmes also came in for criticism, with accusations that companies were just making profits by using unemployed people as “cheap labour”.

Social welfare offices were uniformly described as “chaotic and unpleasant environments”. The experience of accessing welfare claims was described as “banging your head off the wall” and a “nightmare”.

Welfare claimants said they often felt like beggars, claiming they were bullied by welfare officers and said the experience of signing on was dehumanising.

UCD researchers conducted 13 focus groups with unemployed people nationwide, including in areas where there had been large-scale lay-offs in Limerick (Dell) and Swords (SR-Technics).

Losing social welfare claims and benefits was a deep concern to participants. It was not rational to do part-time work and lose entitlements such as medical cards, rent allowances and welfare supports, many said. Participants described how short-term contracts and fewer hours meant they were financially better off on the dole.

A range of health and psychological problems associated with unemployment were described, including excessive smoking, drinking and eating, as well as depression.

Catering to children’s needs, including at Christmas and at birthdays, was described as traumatic.

Giving up food, doctor and hospital visits, socialising, driving and even a cup of coffee were other sacrifices described by the jobless facing financial woes.

One jobless mother said: “My daughter is saying: ‘Go out, you have to go out socially or you will go mental in the head.’ You would be sorry for going out the next morning.”

The criticism of Fás and welfare services comes as the Government moves to break up the authority and join agencies to help those without work and on the dole.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton is setting up the National Employment and Entitlements Service, which will provide a one-stop shop for people seeking to establish their benefit entitlements and those looking for a job and seeking advice on their training options.

The report, entitled The Experience of Unemployment in Ireland, is expected to be released by UCD’s Geary Institute tomorrow.