Had a phone interview for a part time admin job. During said phone interview the boss who was interviewing me told me that 547 people had applied for the job, 300 of which didn't meet the first few selection criteria. Which is depressing, because it highlights the fact that there's simply not enough jobs.
While we do have a welfare system (and I'm thankful for it, even if I'm not on it presently) but it has its faults and it forces job seekers to apply for a set amount of jobs per week or month to get their payment. Doesn't matter if you aren't qualified for the available jobs or you'll not even be considered because you haven't got enough experience or are overqualified (or if they discriminate based on age and disability which is illegal but try and prove it). They even suggest looking at jobs you'll need to relocate for, but no they won't aid you in moving costs or finding accommodation and the fact you may have family or carer commitments is irrelevant to them.
The government goes on and on about how people on welfare are 'lazy' or 'bludgers' but in the middle of a fucking pandemic none of those assholes in power (who get paid more than surgeons, do minimal fucking work at the best of time, and who get living, food & travel allowances) are willing to take a temporary pay cut. They get paid from our fucking taxes just the same as welfare recipients, so who is the bigger bludger? The poor bastard who can't find work in a competitive job market with very few jobs and chronic under-employment, fighting depression and jumping through hoops to get about $500 a fortnight to live on (my rent is more than that), or the smug politician who gives himself a giant pay rise, yet we pay for his accommodation, food and travel and then he turns around and refuses to raise welfare by $75 a fortnight. We should scrap politicians food allowances (leave domestic travel in only if they fly economy like regular people) and cut their pay to less ridiculous amounts. They can pay for their lunch like everyone else and use frequent flyer points to get upgraded.
Or we could introduce them to the guillotine. It could be worse though, we could live in a country without welfare, or a totalitarian regime or a warzone, or the US (sorry Americans, but I'm very happy we have gun control and universal healthcare here).