> providing you can show you are actively seeking and able to work (i.e. applying for jobs, attending interviews). Your past work history doesn't factor into it.
Past history doesn't matter, but what about the kind of work you want to do in the future?
The criteria you listed seem to be optimized for people who are looking for full-time employment. Would you qualify if you were an independent contractor who is temporarily out of clients?
According to Wikipedia [1], the UK JSA often requires beneficiaries to call or visit a specific number of companies each week, and not refuse a reasonable job offer. How does that work for an independent contractor who wants to continue being independent? Do you have to prove that you tried to sell your services to a specific number of potential clients each week? Or do you give up and just get a traditional job? If it's the latter, then the system is deliberately putting independent contractors at a disadvantage.
I'm not saying this is necessarily bad -- after all, beggars can't be choosers -- but it does dampen the original article's enthusiasm about project-based employment being the norm of the future.
Past history doesn't matter, but what about the kind of work you want to do in the future?
The criteria you listed seem to be optimized for people who are looking for full-time employment. Would you qualify if you were an independent contractor who is temporarily out of clients?
According to Wikipedia [1], the UK JSA often requires beneficiaries to call or visit a specific number of companies each week, and not refuse a reasonable job offer. How does that work for an independent contractor who wants to continue being independent? Do you have to prove that you tried to sell your services to a specific number of potential clients each week? Or do you give up and just get a traditional job? If it's the latter, then the system is deliberately putting independent contractors at a disadvantage.
I'm not saying this is necessarily bad -- after all, beggars can't be choosers -- but it does dampen the original article's enthusiasm about project-based employment being the norm of the future.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobseeker%27s_Allowance#Jobsee...