Unemployment in Jersey

One of the troubling things about unemployment, other than the worry, family upheaval and personal trauma for the sufferer and the initial lack of self worth, has to be the social security and tax implications.

Aside from having no regular income one has to come to terms with the fact that a large tax bill from last year now has to be paid towards the end of the year in a lump sum rather than from ITIS. Will the tax department still impose a 10% surcharge for those that now cannot afford it. Is the treasury minister listening.

As for redundancy, it is that in name only, because frequently employers do not couch it in such terms and agreements are entered into with the employee to ensure no one goes to the tribunals. Unfortunately in doing this Social security will not contribute to 13 weeks social security contributions because they have not seen the word redundancy in any dismissal letter. Thanks to the Social Security minister for that one. Also there is no provision concerning class 2 contributions. Having formerly been a relatively high earner, now with no income, Social security have informed me that I must pay at the full rate. There is no assistance or concession whatsoever. So despite having a family and mortgage I must find the full rate contribution every quarter at rate apparently based on what I earned in 2007. Wouldn't it be sensible for Social Security to base current contributions on current income i.e. a big zero. No it doesn't and it is not fair. I suppose I could submit to means testing but then having been relatively prudent no doubt I will have too much to fall back on. So basically I have to whittle any cash we possess down to zero and sell assets until I have nothing. So in a year or so, if we can last that long financially without employment, I presume I would go to Social Security and say I have nothing. No doubt there would be an excuse for having spent savings so that no claim could be made. Basically you spend thirty or more years paying your contributions and get little or nothing in return. So many thanks to Social Security and to the minister, Deputy Ian Gorst, not elected on an island mandate.

Someone recently wrote to the JEP saying official employment statistics were wrong. That would appear true from my own experience. I didn't register as unemployed because it was not worth it. The other fact is that there are less jobs than there are unemployed. This is easy to gauge having registered with various employment agencies or written to various jobs. I wouldn't say there was "ageism" at work but for jobs which I would consider myself fairly well qualified to do one doesn't even make it to the interview stage.

One of the other more troublesome aspects of the unemployment situation, and as I have said before, somewhere in these posts, and this is anecdotal, are the stories that some of the larger banks are making locals, i.e. schooled and grown up here redundant at the expense of imported workers who remain. Not forgetting that in some cases as part of the package banks sometimes paid for accommodation of its essential employees. So what does that do - it keeps the tax take from the remaining employed - but the damage is done to the local who then has to sell their home and possibly leave the Island.