Young jobseekers on benefit shake-up plans

The government is planning major changes to the benefits system.

It's to try to save money and get more people back into work.

A new single payment could eventually replace jobseeker's allowance (JSA), income support and housing benefit.

The idea is to make it more attractive to find work by letting the unemployed keep some of their benefits, even after starting a low paid job.

At the same time, tough rules could mean that anyone out of work for more than a year would be forced to do unpaid manual labour.

Under the plan, the long-term unemployed could be put on 30-hour a week placements at a charity or the local council.

Anyone refusing to take part or failing to turn up on time could have their jobseeker's allowance stopped for three months.

Newsbeat went to Trowbridge in Wiltshire to ask what people thought about the state of the jobs market and the new plans.

Coleen, 18, unemployed

"I've been looking for work for almost two years now.

"It's just knock-backs and knock-backs around here.

"But if I want to get a job in a retail shop I don't know how experience of manual labour is going to help me.

"I am not one of those people on jobseeker's allowance who just sits around all day.

"Those 30 hours could have been spent looking for a job I want, not cleaning up the country."

Victoria, 29, unemployed

"I have professional qualifications and have been applying for loads of roles, anything from retail to teaching assistant.

"The feedback is always the same - you were brilliant but there is someone else we wanted.

"The plans sound sensible, especially if they get people who are not genuinely looking for a job off their backsides.

"I would do anything at the moment, including manual labour, so I'm all for it."

Anthony, 22, works in a factory (second right)

"I had to force myself off jobseeker's allowance to get work.

"It was a motivation killer for me, definitely.

"You get used to it and you don't look for a job as hard.

"I was just walking round town doing nothing and I was getting in trouble looking for money.

"I decided to come off JSA and found work at a factory in a month."

Alex, 27, unemployed

"Forcing people to do manual labour is a bad idea.

"Dictating the work people should do is just setting them up to fail.

"Not everyone is suited to carrying bricks, in the same way as not everyone is suited to academic work.

"It's just going to scare people off and they'll end up lying or committing benefit fraud because they are worried about what the job centre has told them to do."

Joshua, 19, self-employed gardener

"I think the idea of manual labour is brilliant.

"The unemployed should get off their backsides instead of just watching TV all day.

"You have to work hard and sometimes do things you don't want to do to learn new skills.

"You have to get back into the routine of getting up on time and this scheme gives people the chance to do that."