Like thousands of people up and down the UK, the applicant had run the numbers on how much more the family would have after benefits were withdrawn and childcare costs added, and decided the job just wasn’t worth it. A household like his would be less than £5,000 better off, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said.
Saira Hussein almost decided to give up hiring an assistant when one candidate said all he wanted from her was to sign a form so he could keep drawing benefits.
The Manchester-based architect had already wasted time on a handful of no-shows during two days of interviews for the £20,000 (£24,200) a year post. “Don’t you want a job?,” she asked. It turned out he didn’t.
