Here’s an idea to improve social mobility, in the wake of Alan Milburn’s damning report a couple of weeks ago: why not allow young people taking unpaid internships to claim benefits?
Right now, people are only entitled to Jobseekers’ Allowance provided they are out of full-time education and if they work less that 16 hours on average a week. Any more than that, and they’re deemed not to be “actively seeking” paid work – so they don’t qualify for the cash.
But what about a young person working full-time and for free at some investment bank, in the hope of one day securing a fully paid job? It’s hard to imagine how anyone could be more actively seeking paid work, but the rules currently say that they’re not. It’s a completely counterintuitive set-up.
If the professions are to be anything other than a closed shop, then offering to support to interns who don’t have the luxury of financial support from their family is surely a no-brainer.
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