The AMS is threatening me – I have to work in a job I don't want
A 34-year-old man expressed his dissatisfaction with the public employment service in Austria (AMS), stating that he was forced to accept jobs he did not want and did not apply for, despite having worked almost his entire life. In an interview with the newspaper Heute, he explained that he started working at the age of fifteen and had rarely been unemployed, with his periods of unemployment not exceeding six months. However, last year he was pressured to take jobs that did not suit him, and he ended up spending months without adequate pay.
The man explained that after applying for a job that matched his experience, he was initially ignored and later forced into temporary work. After only four months, he finally got the job he wanted from the beginning. He said, "They didn't want to believe me, even though the AMS knew that the company was specifically looking for this position," criticizing what he considered a lack of logic in the system.
The man described his feelings of humiliation after being sent to a rehabilitation program for the long-term unemployed, despite his continuous work record. He said, "I have worked my whole life, yet I am treated as if I have never worked at all." He added that some of his acquaintances with little or no experience had not faced such pressure, while he was facing the direct threat of losing support if he refused the instructions.
After losing his job again due to the deteriorating economic situation, he returned to the AMS and received orders to apply for jobs unrelated to his experience, including working as a bike seller for a taxi company. He explained: "They threatened me again with stopping support if I didn't apply," adding: "I did that, but of course nothing happened except embarrassment."
Angry at what he described as coercion and lack of trust, the man confirmed that he no longer wanted his taxes to go to the AMS. He said, "They never help me – quite the opposite." For him, as someone who has always been able to find work on his own, this institution provides no real support but rather adds more obstacles.