In one of the most controversial measures, the Government will bring in compulsory work placements, whereby unemployed people who are judged to be failing in their efforts to find work will be given an "extra push".  In the most radical clampdown on the work-shy yet, Iain Duncan Smith will announce that the unemployed will be found compulsory 30 hour-a-week work placements and if they fail to turn up they will lose their Jobseekers' Allowance for at least three months. The government's side of the bargain will be the promise of a new "universal credit", to replace all existing benefits, that will ensure it always pays to work rather than stay on welfare. In return, where advisers believe a jobseeker would benefit from experiencing the "habits and routines" of working life, an unemployed person will be told to take up "mandatory work activity" of at least 30 hours a week for a four-week period. If they refuse or fail to complete the programme their jobseeker's allowance payments, currently £51.85 a week for those under 25 and £65.45 for those over 25, could be stopped for at least three months. An insider close to the discussions said: "We know there are still some jobseekers who need an extra push to get them into the mindset of being in the working environment and an opportunity to experience that environment. "This is all about getting them back into a working routine which, in turn, makes them a much more appealing prospect for an employer looking to fill a vacancy, and more confident when they enter the workplace. The goal is to break into the habit of worklessness." Last night the shadow work and pensions secretary, Douglas Alexander, suggested government policy on job creation was reducing people's chances of finding work: "The Tories have just abolished the future jobs fund, which offered real work and real hope to young people. Britain has one of the highest rates of workless households in Europe, with 1.9 million children living in homes where no one has a job.
– Unemployed Britons may have to volunteer full-time for a month in order to keep their benefits. The plan, to be unveiled this week, is part of a massive overhaul of the country's $300 billion welfare program, notes the Guardian. The goal, says a government source, is to "end the habit of worklessness." "This is all about getting them back into a working routine which, in turn, makes them a much more appealing prospect." Some 5 million people in the UK are currently claiming unemployment benefits, with 1.4 million claiming for 9 out of the last 10 years, notes the Telegraph. The country has the highest rate of jobless households in the EU. The plan is opposed by some charity groups who worry the new plans may push people into poverty. (Click here to read about a US charity that paid a UK addicts to get a vasectomy.)