Unemployed must accept any job, say MPs
Highly-skilled people who have been out of work for a year must accept any job they are offered, even if it is below their education level and the pay is low, MPs said on Tuesday.
A parliamentary majority backed a proposal from social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner to increase the pressure on the jobless to accept work from July 1.
During the debate Socialist MP Paul Ulenbelt pointed out that it is a waste of knowledge and experience to force engineers to pick tomatoes in a greenhouse.
Self reflection
But Donner said it could be very good for ‘self reflection’ if the highly-skilled to ‘spend some time working in a greenhouse’.
On average, 80% of people claiming unemployment benefit (ww) find a job within their first year of unemployment.
Opposition MPs said they feared the idea would cost more than it saves because people who earn less than they are entitled to in unemployment benefits can ask for a top-up.
At the moment, highly-skilled people are allowed to reject jobs which are beneath their level for 18 months of unemployment, reports the NRC. Low-skilled workers have six months to find work before being required to take any work they are offered.
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