Working the System: 750,000 British Welfare Recipients Refuse Employment

At Telegraph UK:

Almost 750,000 welfare claimants refused to work or gave up jobs to claim benefits, new figures have revealed.

Ministers said the data from the Department for Work and Pensions, suggest that over the past decade, thousands of people have attempted to “play the system” and avoid work.

The figures show that over the last decade, 744,000 people were “sanctioned” and had their benefits reduced for refusing to comply with rules meant to push them towards employment.

About 177,000 people receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance refused jobs they were offered. Another 444,000 left jobs voluntarily and made a claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance.

A further 123,000 people faced sanctions when claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance after losing their job through misconduct.

Under previous rules, people refusing work or leaving employment without good reason faced “variable length sanctions,” having their benefits cut for between 1 and 26 weeks.