Job Centre criticised for egg-hunt 'gimmick'

10:04 8th April 2009

A Job Centre contractor in London has been criticised by the Taxpayers' Allowance for offering application forms and vouchers as prizes in an Easter egg hunt.

Skills Training Centre (STC) UK, a Job Centre Plus contractor, invited more than 150 people to the event in Southwark, prompting widespread criticism from jobseekers and a range of professional organisations.

Mark Wallace, campaign director for the Taxpayers' Alliance, said that the Job Centre should focus on helping jobseekers pursue training courses rather than focussing on promotional "gimmicks".

Mr Wallace said: "Now more than ever, Job Centres should be focusing on providing the essential help that people who have lost their jobs need to personally survive the conditions and then get back into work."

The Southwark STC said no offence had been intended when the egg hunt was organised.

Many jobseekers use the service to get information on computer training courses or advice on how to pursue a career change.

More than two million people were unemployed in January this year, according to the Office for National Statistics.