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Youths would rather have no money than work for benefits
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March 17th, 2014
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Young unemployed seeking alternatives to taking a ‘nyttejob’
Instead of participating in a recently-introduced work for benefits scheme, unemployed youths on kontanthjælp are seeking alternative financial help to support themselves, reports Sjællandkse Medier.
Helping the elderly, sweeping the streets, picking up rubbish – these are the kinds of jobs being asked of those who are eligible, but many are turning their backs on the idea.
A recent telephone poll by Ritzau revealed that up to half of the young people on kontanthjælp rejected the nyttejob scheme as they did not want to work whilst receiving the benefit.
READ ALSO: Unemployment reform targets uneducated youth
A noticeable effect
Youths are encouraged to take a nyttejob (a job that is of use to society) for up to 13 weeks at a time as part of a new law introduced on January 1.
Job centres across the country have already begun to notice the effect.
”In the old days, it was called ‘immediate placement’ and we experienced the same scare effect then,” Birgit Bagge, a job centre manager in Svendborg who is not surprised by the trend, told Sjællandkse Medier.
Without the kontanthjælp , many youths need to find alternative finances – often in the form of a bank loan.
Turning to parents for money instead
“Some find a job themselves, others choose study," Christian Schacht-Magnussen, a job centre manager in Aarhus Council, where nyttejob were assigned to 240 youths, of which around 100 dropped out before they even started.
“And then there is probably a group that is supported by their parents.”
The 60 percent rate in Aarhus Council is not the lowest. Last week in Horsens Council, only one out of three turned up to take part in the scheme.
READ ALSO: Parts of Denmark missing out on job growth
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