Nearly 6,500 unemployed people make Hackney the borough with most claimants per capita in all of Greater London, and complaints from job seekers suggest Hackney’s job centres may not be up to scratch.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 3.5 per cent of Hackney’s adult population currently claim Jobseeker’s Allowance. In more affluent Richmond-upon-Thames that figure is only 1.2 per cent.
INTERACTIVE: See our interactive map of claimant count across London
“It’s a great challenge. Not just for those in the unfortunate position of having to make these claims, but also for those tasked with getting people back to work, whether in the council, charities, or local businesses, to deliver,” says Guy Nicholson, Labour councillor in charge of regeneration and employment in Hackney.
Nicholson is highly critical of the Conservative government having moved resources to combat unemployment away from local authorities.
“We’re having to do this through our own initiatives, as the current government has chosen to withdraw resources that were available,” he says.
Complaints from job seekers suggest that job centres in the Hackney area may be ineffective and unpleasant to visit.
Hackney Unemployed Workers’ website states that they have experienced derogatory comments from job advisors, and comment that “being unemployed is not our fault, and we do not enjoy being treated as though we’ve done something wrong.”
Hackney council is aware that job seekers have been unhappy with the local job centres.
“It is true. On occasion residents have been in touch and complained. But equally, I know that others have had good experiences,” says Guy Nicholson.
Job centres are centrally run, and Hackney council has little authority over them, but it has introduced the Ways Into Work team in order to try to influence the centres.
“But that’s about as far as we can go to ensure that our job centres provide a service that is helpful and fits the purpose,” adds Nicholson.
At one of Hackney’s job centres, job seekers are sitting by their computers. The silence is heavy, but for the sound of rain bucketing down outside. None of the people present want to discuss their experiences with a journalist, but one of the centre’s team manager agreed to talk anonymously.
She said the centre does work effectively to get people back in work, with a whole range of projects from group sessions to upskilling and training sessions with private companies. Job seekers must also come in at least fortnightly.
“We are doing a lot of work to get people mobilised. A lot of it’s about how to motivate disadvantaged people, to get them excited about their lives again,” she says.
Claimant figures in London are decreasing steadily across the board, but in Hackney the decrease has not kept pace with other boroughs. Figures from 2009 show that Hackney was topping the lists even then, with 5.4 per cent claimants, but the borough was tied with Tower Hamlets and Newham. Since then, both of these East London boroughs have done a better job than Hackney at decreasing their claimant counts.
“It’s difficult for me to compare Hackney with other boroughs, but we’re talking about a rapidly transforming population,” says Guy Nicholson, referring to the gentrification and growth Hackney has gone through in recent years.
“Our goal now has to be to raise the quality of life for all residents, not just for one group. This isn’t about taking advantage of the system, 99 per cent of claimants have legitimate cause,” he says.
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