Jobseekers 'need help, not gimmicks'

It has been claimed by the Taxpayers Alliance that now more than ever jobseekers need help and support in finding employment.

This statement comes following the news that one job centre in London invited people to participate in an Easter egg hunt to win prizes such as job application forms.

The alliance branded this move a distraction and a gimmick and said that the focus should be on providing the essential help people need to get back to work.

Mark Wallace, campaign director for the Taxpayer's Alliance, suggested that jobseekers are given assistance in writing CVs, finding vacancies, applying properly and sticking with their search.

They might not be as exciting as Easter egg hunts but these are things which will really help people when they need it, he concluded.

When you're out of a job and hurting for money, gimmicks like this are time-wasting and irrelevant, says a spokesperson for ClickAJob.

Any kind of real direction and assistance in preparing yourself for the job market is more than a lifeline, it's helping to lift your self-esteem as well, he maintains.

Recruiters forget that for a person without a job, spirits are low and confidence is at an ebb, he continues.

Helping jobseekers get into work is helping them become human beings again.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that unemployment in the UK reached above two million at the start of the year.