In my experience the job situation is getting worse by the month. You apply for a job online and by the end of that day so have at least 100 other people. If you are contacted by the agency they are so enthusiastic and sign you up but you never hear from them again, and they do not return your calls. The jobless figures quoted do not include people like me who are not claiming benefit. The real numbers are probably double those mentioned. I can see no light at the end of the tunnel!

   N Tropy - know nothing parasites? how polite. I find your comments relevant to the majority of agencies but rest assured the work I offer is to people who live in Reading and have apllied for work in Reading. I was merely stating facts.

rogerjolly - regardless of what the profit margin is it doesnt take away the fact that there is a job and a wage being offered. I do appreciate it can be difficult to re-claim full benefits back when taking on a temporary job and as stated before I believe the system needs changing. I have placed numerous people onto contracts that were supposed to last 1-2 weeks only for that contract to last anything up to 1 year + due to the persons good performance. I also lose alot of people I place to other companies working on the same project I have supplied that person to so please do not try and tell me that it doesnt pay to go to work because you'll spenad awhile getting the benefits back. It's a pathetic argument intended for the lazy to agree with.

   what this article doesn't show is the numbers of people who have no work but aren't signing on as they have a partner who works and therefore they can't claim any benefits beyond an initial period of 6 months. most of the jobs out there wouldn't cover the cost of childcare too as wages have gone down

   Well there are not enough jobs to go around.

Why comment on scroungers as it has nothing to do with unemployment levels. A minority don't want to work. So what? Let's nor bother about them.

Instead, let us put all our attention, effort and resources into those that need/want to work and can't.

Employers have much to answer for at the moment. They think it's their market and need people but can't recruit them as they are too picky. Those in jobs can't risk moving either. This is one reason the employment market has stagnated.

   bernie bullput,

Labour are proven liars, I completely agree. They're also good at trying to rewrite history.

   Perhaps it's time that the job centres stopped being self service centres.Where at the moment people just go to sign on so they will get benifits,and glance at the jobs on site if can be bothered. If the job centres activily engaged with those signing on. Actually finding jobs available and making appointments for the apllicants then something might change.I know it's hand holding but too many have no motivation to look for themselves.Withdrawel of benifits are an incentive but no good if the job centres are not putting the jobs forward.Plus all those employers who employ those the've recruited to this country should pay a bond to the government to cover the costs those workers are costing this country. Yes they do cost this country think about the cost of all the tranlation costs to local councils.Think of the costs of extra school places/housing costs/health costs.Yes they might pay NI and Tax and Vat but nine times out of ten they claim them back.That is without the cost of state benifits given to the british workers because they are unemployed through these workers.

   The previous Labour Government has indeed a great deal to answer for and deliberately encouraged a huge deluge of dirt-cheap ostensibly East European labour to pour into the UK with the direct result of record youth unemployment,this fact needs to be emphasised at every opportunity.

   ding dong donkey, proven liars

   bernie bullpit,

Quite rich you accusing the Tories of divide and conquer when you imported millions of immigrants for your own political gain, which consequently ramped up the unemployment figures and created a division automatically. The social engineering was done by your beloved Labour party under the guise of 'multiculturalism', and anyone who disagreed with what was happening was branded a 'racist' or a 'bigot' despite having legitimate concerns. Your brand of social engineering was further enhanced when your beloved Labour party made benefits a lifestyle choice that pays more than getting off of your backside and getting a job. Having ambition and a brain was frowned upon.

   I was out of full time work for 6 months, I didnt claim benefits but took any old temp job going, sometimes doing 2 part time ones until I found a permanant job. It was a lot less than my previous full time job but I had to adjust. 7 years later, I am still in that job. Still a bit skint though.

A lot of the kids in Tilehurst who are on job seekers allowance spend it on cannabis, FACT!.

   Hmmm, agencies. For a 'professional' they might be asking 10-20% of a year's salary, say £4000. That means they'd be doing very well indeed if they placed one person per week. Of course, they don't; a pox on them and their waste of space endless emails about plasterer's jobs in Orkney when you're qualified as an electrician and live in Falmouth.

As an employer, I would not touch them with a barge-pole. As a jobseeker, I would not touch them with a barge-pole. Bunch of know-nothing useless parasites.

   Well Mr The Phantom I have signed on to three agencies and not had any work from any of them for two weeks!! Not even a phone call.....

   divide and rule, soon when everyone is made poor, in the guise of austarity, you wil be glad to work for a pittence, this is social engineering, by our freinds in p.r. , media and tory idiology, we really should be worried,

   Some interesting comments here- can easily agree in at least part with all. Agencies? IMHO not worth the effort.2000 jobs in a 3 mile radius? What kind of Job - office,shop,driving,sales? How many temp or contract jobs was that, how many repeated duplicate jobs, and how many genuine jobs? How can a driver be 'unskilled' work?you need to be able to read and write to hold a bona fide license.Fanny prob got rejected due to the old 'overqualified' chestnut and snowdrop is right. 600 applications in 2 years,3 interviews , one job offer ( taken with gratitude) for my grad relative. Nothing is what it seems out there folks.

   I'm sure if we had gained city status this wouldn't be happening....