After receiving a revealing comment from an IA reader to his recent article 'Stop the hectoring tirades, Senator Cash, and fix the jobless problem', John Maycock follows up on his investigation into the plight of the jobless.

IN A comment on this author’s recent article discussing the sanctioning and demonising of Newstart recipients, GraemeF shared this experience;

I had one ex-housemate who was suspended but not because he missed an interview.

He turned up and would have taken the job but got suspended because the employer rang the job agency and told them he was not “enthusiastic enough” during the interview. They determined on the basis of that call that he wasn't trying hard enough to get work.

Wasn’t “enthusiastic enough”? Wasn’t “trying hard enough”?

Screamatall Cash's latest brainsnap on the jobless is starve 800,000 rather than feed one imposter @independentaus https://t.co/jyWB0I3Q0B

These are “value judgements” based on personal opinions. In the first instance, the employer gives a subjective opinion about the applicant’s enthusiasm and, in the second, the employment consultant/agency – on the bases of this information and personal opinion (subjective) – determines that the applicant didn’t try hard enough.

Let’s take that enthusiasm for a minute. Under what circumstances was this judgement made?

There are “dress codes” and such that the job applicant has to adherer to. Failure to do so could be interpreted as lack of enthusiasm and not trying hard enough – though some may argue they do not possess any decent clothes - and of course you will be sanctioned. But note: There is no need for value judgements in this case, no need to apply a label relating to enthusiasm. There is a code for all to see and follow.

But this does not sound to be the case here. Suppose the employer – indeed any employer – is basing their judgement on comparing the enthusiasm of all those who applied for the job. And let’s assume there were at least eleven applicants, that being the ratio of jobseekers to vacancies quoted in my previous article.

read more: https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/is-ostracising-the-unemployed-part-of-your-ideasboom-senator-cash,8909