Another Dole increase

kilburn

Christ when you think things can not get much worse it seems an extra 800 people were joining the unemployment line last month probably taken up with students but thats now over 15,500 in the city area alone.

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/business/jobs/unemployment_rises_across_limerick_1_2925411

So lets try to be positive, what suggestions do you guys have were jobs can be created in this city, realistic ones would be great ! Maybe a few of us can start a campaign to highlight just how fooked the place is.

Kess73

Realistically the only way to have an impact on the frighteningly huge unemployment figures in Limerick is for new employers to be attracted to the city and county.

Be it retail, services, or commercial. Short term "fixes" like the joke WPP set up and similar only muddle the actual unemployment figures by making them appear slightly less worse than they actually are, whilst providing no medium to long term employment.


Drastic changes in the cost of rates needed to be brought in three or four years ago when the other cities were doing likewise, and attractive packages should have been put in place to attract large retailers back into the city centre. Half assed efforts like talking about reducing rates by a quarter of one percent and so on were a joke and an insult to any business fighting to survive.


Nothing that would bring employment would come without a large short term cost financially though. But the medium to long term gain is what needs to be looked at, and those with the power to do so should look at things in that manner rather than continue with the same myopic "leadership" that has brought Limerick city to where it is today.


A gamble is what is needed now, in terms of reducing costs like rates and even down to things like parking discs etc., and people strong enough to wait out that gamble as nothing will happen quickly even with reduced rates.

Local authorities/councils/councillors should be getting onto the local Ministers and TDs and make them earn their keep by approaching NAMA about the number of sites now under the NAMA banner in Limerick to try and force some movement on them.

At this point things are desperate enough to look towards foreign investment in Limerick, similar to the talks of Chinese investment in Athlone town. Limerick has access to rail networks, motorways and an international airport as well as many untapped or underdeveloped resources that would surely interest outside investors should the right approach get made.

The raw figures for those out of work in Limerick should be pushed in the media and pushed hard to get them shown at national level.

People on the local authorities/planning commissions etc should be brought to task on what they have done and not done, with some of the odd/dodgy decisions getting the same kind of spotlight in the local media as Daviod Norris got in the national media. Of course that would require a local media that was actyually good in their professions and not just stooge media, but I digress. For too long too many people involved with local authorites/councils/politics have let their own interests take the front seat over what they are actually hired to do.


Wish I had some short and snappy idea for the OP in terms of creating the type of job numbers the city and surrounding areas need, but the problem is far bigger than any ideas that would potenially create only 10,20,75, 100 jobs.

SarahBeep!

If you're on the dole you're technically a government employee. Have people working with the OPW. The streets could be cleaner, there's potholes to be filled, busses and squad cars and paddywagons to be washed. Jobs like that would soon get rid of the lazy people and make them get up and start looking for a job.

Kess73

SarahBeep! wrote: »

If you're on the dole you're technically a government employee. Have people working with the OPW. The streets could be cleaner, there's potholes to be filled, busses and squad cars and paddywagons to be washed. Jobs like that would soon get rid of the lazy people and make them get up and start looking for a job.

Not possible despite it seeming a common sense type idea upon first glance. You would run a gauntlet of unions and legal redtape to implement such an idea and the costing of it would be staggering when auxiliary costings were taken into account.

Triangla

I loved living in Limerick, tons to see there.

It could be another Kilkenny tourismwise with a little bit of work, easy to access from Shannon and good gateway to Killarney, Cork, Galway - even Dublin with the motorways.

With Thomond Park there could be a lot more gigs there.

It has UL and LIT, come to think of it - why the hell isn't it doing well? That city should be awash with jobs.

Roadend

Kess73 wrote: »

Not possible despite it seeming a common sense type idea upon first glance. You would run a gauntlet of unions and legal redtape to implement such an idea and the costing of it would be staggering when auxiliary costings were taken into account.

Here's a thought, fk the unions

SarahBeep!

Kess73 wrote: »

SarahBeep! wrote: »

If you're on the dole you're technically a government employee. Have people working with the OPW. The streets could be cleaner, there's potholes to be filled, busses and squad cars and paddywagons to be washed. Jobs like that would soon get rid of the lazy people and make them get up and start looking for a job.

Not possible despite it seeming a common sense type idea upon first glance. You would run a gauntlet of unions and legal redtape to implement such an idea and the costing of it would be staggering when auxiliary costings were taken into account.

I just think is so pathetic that Im trying to do a full time degree with my grant being cut year on year and people are just HANDED this money. Out of a group of 90 that did the leaving in '09 about 70% are on the dole. Then they're in FB complaining the social want to PAY THEM to do a bulls*t course like typing while Im training to be a teacher and get about one tenth of the money they do. WTF.

phill106

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I just think is so pathetic that Im trying to do a full time degree with my grant being cut year on year and people are just HANDED this money. Out of a group of 90 that did the leaving in '09 about 70% are on the dole. Then they're in FB complaining the social want to PAY THEM to do a bulls*t course like typing while Im training to be a teacher and get about one tenth of the money they do. WTF.

trust me sarah, job market in limerick/clare is rubbish atm. any job on offer is heavily over subscribed, with most companies not even replying to cvs.
while i do agree there is some who have no interest in a job, alot are trying and there is very little out there.

Kev_ps3

SarahBeep! wrote: »

If you're on the dole you're technically a government employee. Have people working with the OPW. The streets could be cleaner, there's potholes to be filled, busses and squad cars and paddywagons to be washed. Jobs like that would soon get rid of the lazy people and make them get up and start looking for a job.

:rolleyes:

aN.Droid

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I just think is so pathetic that Im trying to do a full time degree with my grant being cut year on year and people are just HANDED this money. Out of a group of 90 that did the leaving in '09 about 70% are on the dole. Then they're in FB complaining the social want to PAY THEM to do a bulls*t course like typing while Im training to be a teacher and get about one tenth of the money they do. WTF.

Isn't the chance of getting a job as a teacher near nil nowadays? Chances are you will be on the dole queue when you finish your course and your tune will have changed.

new business is what we need. And when I say that I don't mean another 2 euro shop. I have looked into starting my own place and the rates are a killer. If it was cheaper and easier to start my own place I would do it in the morning. I would rather stay in Limerick but if the city doesn't do anything about there rates then I will have to go elsewhere!

kilburn

Please dont drag this down with comments about people on the dole getting more than you for studying, the idea behind this thread is to generate ideas not whine. I know loads of people on the dole who would jump at the chance of a job tomorrow, myself included.

LadyTBolt

I still miss the forecourt attendants who used to fill my car for me which meant I never had to leave my car to get petrol.
I don't see them in any petrol station anymore.
This was very handy when my children were babies and toddlers as it's nervewrecking leaving the car, putting petrol in and then leaving to go and queue to pay. As well as other days when it was raining.
To tip some young lad €1 or €2 to do it for me was great.
If that job was re-invented for young jobseekers / college students whereby you would hoot for service with an extra €1.50 added to your bill it could open up a few jobs.
I understand petrol stations do not want to be taking on further paye workers as it adds to their costs but what if an individual paid a nominal fee to the petrol station owner instead to allow them to carry out a service on the premises? This may not be the ideal scenario but it's a thought.
Just a thought

As well as ironing. If there was a place in town where I could drop in my ironing and collect it the next day I would pay for that.

Home car wash. If somebody was to come to my home and wash/polish/hoover my car I would like that. They can do it for dogs, why not cars?

I think the service industry is the way to go for job creation.
Waiting on the government/public service/foreign investment companies is just not going to get jobs moving.

kilburn

Excellent those are the ideas we want, any enterprising students out there watch this space

SarahBeep!

Limericks wrote: »

Isn't the chance of getting a job as a teacher near nil nowadays? Chances are you will be on the dole queue when you finish your course and your tune will have changed.

I'd rather hop on a plane than stand in a dole queue. How many people are letting their skills go to waste??

kilburn

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I'd rather hop on a plane than stand in a dole queue. How many people are letting their skills go to waste??

Some people dont have that option best of luck to ya when you go

aN.Droid

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I'd rather hop on a plane than stand in a dole queue. How many people are letting their skills go to waste??

So you would rather waste Irish tax money and get your degree in Ireland and then fly off somewhere else and pay tax there while costing our state more?

That, in my opinion is worse then being on the dole.

SarahBeep!

Limericks wrote: »

So you would rather waste Irish tax money and get your degree in Ireland and then fly off somewhere else and pay tax there while costing our state more?

That, in my opinion is worse then being on the dole.

I'd have no problem paying fees if I knew it was a proper system and the money was going back to the University, not into the big black government hole. How about a little more effort is put into catching people who are working on the dole, how about making people who are on the dole do charity work, hm?? :rolleyes:

Mc Love

LadyTBolt wrote: »

As well as ironing. If there was a place in town where I could drop in my ironing and collect it the next day I would pay for that.

I do believe this service is available in Limerick, they collect your clothes, iron them and bring them back to you.

Dont recall the details though

aN.Droid

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I'd have no problem paying fees if I knew it was a proper system and the money was going back to the University, not into the big black government hole. How about a little more effort is put into catching people who are working on the dole, how about making people who are on the dole do charity work, hm?? :rolleyes:

How about making people who take money from the state to go to college are made to work in Ireland for a period of time, hm??:rolleyes:

SarahBeep!

Limericks wrote: »

How about making people who take money from the state to go to college are made to work in Ireland for a period of time, hm??:rolleyes:

If they could find a job for me I'd be more than happy :rolleyes:

Kess73

LadyTBolt wrote: »

I still miss the forecourt attendants who used to fill my car for me which meant I never had to leave my car to get petrol.
I don't see them in any petrol station anymore.
This was very handy when my children were babies and toddlers as it's nervewrecking leaving the car, putting petrol in and then leaving to go and queue to pay. As well as other days when it was raining.
To tip some young lad €1 or €2 to do it for me was great.
If that job was re-invented for young jobseekers / college students whereby you would hoot for service with an extra €1.50 added to your bill it could open up a few jobs.
I understand petrol stations do not want to be taking on further paye workers as it adds to their costs but what if an individual paid a nominal fee to the petrol station owner instead to allow them to carry out a service on the premises? This may not be the ideal scenario but it's a thought.
Just a thought

As well as ironing. If there was a place in town where I could drop in my ironing and collect it the next day I would pay for that.

Home car wash. If somebody was to come to my home and wash/polish/hoover my car I would like that. They can do it for dogs, why not cars?

I think the service industry is the way to go for job creation.
Waiting on the government/public service/foreign investment companies is just not going to get jobs moving.

There are a good few places that will iron clothes for you. First one that springs to mind is the laundrette in the Racefield shopping centre on Father Russell road.


There were a few guys that did the home car valeting, but the two I know went out of business when the economy went downhill. Guess people tightening their belts wiped out that service.


Forecourt assistants were got rid of to increase shop sales at service stations. Statoil were one of the first to do it across the board some years ago when they introduced their Fareplay branded stores. The idea was that if customers sit in their cars and get their fuel pumped for them, then they would have no reason to enter the store and impulse buy. So no forecourt assistants means more footfall instore and more cash in tills, so don't hold your breath waiting for forecourt assistants to return across the board in the bigger chains.

The idea of someone paying the station to be allowed to pump fuel is a no no as well. It would be an insurance nightmare for stations and a potential legal minefield.


I agree with you in that the service industry is a good way to create lots of jobs, but given that the sector is struggling badly and will most likely be the sector that loses the most jobs this year and probably next year also, some kind of investment or packages that include incentives for companies to stay/arrive and also things like rate drops etc to help existing companies to retain current staff, it is a sector that most certainly needs help in creating jobs and if left alone is in no state to create a large number of jobs in Limerick or nationwide.

aN.Droid

SarahBeep! wrote: »

If they could find a job for me I'd be more than happy :rolleyes:

I don't mean working in your studied profession I mean working menial jobs. sweeping the streets, etc. Like some people want for people on the dole.

Why don't you take your own advice and do charity work while you try to find a job instead of fecking off after costing the state thousands of euro. I don't know if you realise but the entrance fee's are not what it costs the government to send someone to college. It costs a hell of allot more.

SarahBeep!

Limericks wrote: »

I don't mean working in your studied profession I mean working menial jobs. sweeping the streets, etc. Like some people want for people on the dole.

Why don't you take your own advice and do charity work while you try to find a job instead of fecking off after costing the state thousands of euro. I don't know if you realise but the entrance fee's are not what it costs the government to send someone to college. It costs a hell of allot more.

I have a job and have only spend three months unemployed since I was 14. I do charity work. I have done menial jobs for far less than minimum wage. I know exactly what it costs to educate me and I appreciate. Would you like to question anything else about me??

aN.Droid

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I have a job and have only spend three months unemployed since I was 14. I do charity work. I have done menial jobs for far less than minimum wage. I know exactly what it costs to educate me and I appreciate. Would you like to question anything else about me??

I have not questioned you about your current situation and am also not basing my ideas solely around you. I am happy to hear you have a job, your one of the lucky ones. What I am trying to say is in the larger scale, people are collecting there degrees after there years costing the state allot of money and fecking off elsewhere to pay tax in another state.

In my opinion, and remember it is just a lone one I speak for no one else, if you study here and earn a degree here you should pay back the system. Either by working a few years and paying tax, or if you want to jump ship early pay some of the cash spent on you back. I know it would never happen that way but that's just how I think it should be.

People on the dole are costing the state 9776 flat euro's a year each. This is before they collect any other benefits and is ofcourse the full amount possible to get. That is a fraction of what it costs to send someone to college.

Now I am not attacking someone for taking the initiative of getting an education because I would kill for one myself. (More like kill for the piece of paper that says I have the education as I am quite learned myself) What I am trying to say is try and pay back what you can! Don't just jump ship.

MyKeyG

SarahBeep! wrote: »

Would you like to question anything else about me??

I would. Where did you pick up that big chip on your shoulder? Maybe you should try a spell on the dole yourself and see how utterly soul destroying it is for the rest of us. But no you choose to rant obtusely and give us the poor mouth, ignorantly judging people who are desperate for the feel of real cash and are willing to work for it. I noticed you changed your initial comment from everyone on the dole to Welfare abusers, god help the future generation if it's you imparting their knowledge!

For your information I went to my Social Welfare facilitator and my local FAS office within the last two weeks and neither were even willing to talk about employment instead suggesting a course.

Personally I don't want to take a typewriting course or any other farcical waste of time they've come up with. I don't want to cost the tax payer even more money taking a course that's not worth the ink it would take to print on my CV.

SarahBeep!

MyKeyG wrote: »

I would. Where did you pick up that big chip on your shoulder? Maybe you should try a spell on the dole yourself and see how utterly soul destroying it is for the rest of us. But no you choose to rant obtusely and give us the poor mouth, ignorantly judging people who are desperate for the feel of real cash and are willing to work for it. I noticed you changed your initial comment from everyone on the dole to Welfare abusers, god help the future generation if it's you imparting their knowledge!

For your information I went to my Social Welfare facilitator and my local FAS office within the last two weeks and neither were even willing to talk about employment instead suggesting a course.

Personally I don't want to take a typewriting course or any other farcical waste of time they've come up with. I don't want to cost the tax payer even more money taking a course that's not worth the ink it would take to print on my CV.

I can only comment on what I've encountered, and that is what I've encountered.

Resi12

Everyone is so hostile here, wow chill out. I really, really never get any anger pointed at genuine people on the dole (I would say the vast majority are). It's not our fault the government is making ridiculous 'solutions' to counteract the growing epidemic.

The new internship system is a joke, a full 40 hour week job for a max 238 a week for someone who has a degree? Seriously, slave hours and also just because someone is on the dole does not mean they have to be publicly demeaned/looked down upon.

The caste system died out long ago. Anyone from Limerick no less thinking they are above people makes me laugh because they themselves get so riled up when this county is looked down on. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

LadyTBolt

Resi12 wrote: »

It's not our fault the government is making ridiculous 'solutions' to counteract the growing epidemic.

The new internship system is a joke, a full 40 hour week job for a max 238 a week for someone who has a degree? Seriously, slave hours and also just because someone is on the dole does not mean they have to be publicly demeaned/looked down upon.

I do not agree that the new internship system is a joke.
For instance, you've recently left college as a qualified montessori teacher (example). You have the qualification but no work experience. You have two choices. You can pick up the dole and stay at home and wait for a fantastic paying job, or you can gain work experience which when a job does arise down the line you have the qualification and the experience to back it up.
I'd rather give a job to someone with a degree and some experience than somebody with just a degree.

I do understand some employers are taking advantage of it but in regards to the intern, which would be more self-satisfactory - sitting at home on the dole just because you have a degree and feel €238 is not enough pay for all the years you spent as a student or getting up off your back side day in day out to receive €238 and valuable work experience which you will not gain at home. I know what I'd do and I don't think it's a joke.

Berty

LadyTbolt.

Employers are abusing the internship programme. Example

Jobbridge Facebook page. Read the Wall Posts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JobBridge/224594244220529

One I saw was a Regional Sales Manager covering 6 counties. 40 hour week. €236 per week. Come on.

While I'm here I suppose: With all the unemployed people in the country with a vast array of experience why, then, do we need Internships?

1huge1

SarahBeep! wrote: »

I just think is so pathetic that Im trying to do a full time degree with my grant being cut year on year and people are just HANDED this money. Out of a group of 90 that did the leaving in '09 about 70% are on the dole. Then they're in FB complaining the social want to PAY THEM to do a bulls*t course like typing while Im training to be a teacher and get about one tenth of the money they do. WTF.

You can also see it from the point of view that people like myself in full time 3rd level education who have no grant and have to listen to people whinging about their grant being cut when all my fee's are either coming out of my own pocket or my poor parents.

I do agree that there should be more schemes to get people on the dole working, but I so think you are underestimating the amount of people on social welfare that are actively searching for jobs.

On another note I don't see how we don't have people in jail out cleaning the motorways etc...We are paying for them as well.

Resi12 wrote: »

Everyone is so hostile here, wow chill out. I really, really never get any anger pointed at genuine people on the dole (I would say the vast majority are). It's not our fault the government is making ridiculous 'solutions' to counteract the growing epidemic.

The new internship system is a joke, a full 40 hour week job for a max 238 a week for someone who has a degree? Seriously, slave hours and also just because someone is on the dole does not mean they have to be publicly demeaned/looked down upon.

The caste system died out long ago. Anyone from Limerick no less thinking they are above people makes me laugh because they themselves get so riled up when this county is looked down on. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

You really are looking at it the wrong way, you make it sound like a punishment, these people are getting experience while they are on these internships, it gives them motivation, and it is good for both your physical and mental health to be working rather than being on social welfare.

At the end of the day people do have bills to pay no doubt, but not everything is about money.

Kess73

Lads and lasses


I think the OP started a pretty good thread which could spark a good debate on pro and cons of different ideas for job creation and, more importantly once jobs are in place, job retention in and for Limerick city/county.


Maybe we should keep this thread for discussion on what would or would not work for Limerick?

And keep the attacking of people on the dole or the attacking of people in college for another thread? I know there are people on the dole today that don't want to work ever, just as there are people going to college who end up being constant students who just keep going from course to course whilst avoiding putting their education to use on the work front, but in both cases they are not representive of the majority of folk on the dole and in college imho.



Beer Baron, I totally agree about the work internship setup. It is a total joke and just as useless long term as the WPP set up. It comes with no guarantee of full time work, and in a hell of a lot of cases does not teach new skills to those doing the internships. It simply gives employers workers on a pittance whose skills would normally be worth a hell of a lot more. Basically it reduces the worth of years of experience and/or years of education, and by doing that it pushes the unskilled workforce further down the pecking order as well. At some point the internship set up will reach saturation point and somethiong will give and then there will be thousands and thousands of people who are not counted as being on the live register back on the unemplyment line.

Without genuine job creation the internship set up is useless as there is no next stage for the majority of those doing in. Basically a band aid solutiuon for a wound needing stitching.