Submitted by Matthew on 20 February, 2013 - 9:25
“Workfare” schemes took a blow on Tuesday 12 February as two unemployed workers won Court of Appeal cases which ruled that attempts to force them to work for free, or risk losing their benefits, were unlawful.
Now an article in the Financial Times has knocked them further, by publicising a Labour Party survey from 2008 which looked at the use of similar schemes in America, Canada, and Australia. The study concluded that “Workfare
is least effective in getting people into jobs in weak labour markets where unemployment is high.” According to the FT, “[the study showed] there is little evidence that workfare schemes increase the likelihood of finding a job.
“They may actually diminish the time available for looking for work.”
