A JOBSEEKER says he's 'desperate to find work to provide for his family' but 'feels like a burden' due to the difficulty of getting a job.

He says people in Basildon, who are out of work, are battling "endless rejections" and are left feeling "hopeless", as they continue to try and find employment.

The Job Centre, based at the Basildon Borough Council offices, in St Martin's Square, in the town, is visited countless times daily by those searching for jobs.

Bob Smith, 55, was made redundant from his job in the construction industry, and is "desperate" to find work. He said: "I feel like a burden on the state and system. I just want to provide for myself and my family. I feel a bit hopeless at times. It really gets you down, I have worked since I was 15 but now I worry more and more about how long I will be out of work. I might as well just throw my CV into a shredder."

Claire Green, 35, from Basildon said she's "lost count" of the amount of applications she's made, after she was made redundant from her IT based job. She added: "It's so disheartening and it's a real struggle to find work and jobs. There are just no jobs out there." She called the situation a "total nightmare" and also said jobseekers and those out of work are "looked down on" by many other people.

A 22-year-old media graduate, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "I am told I don't have experience but I can't get it without more work, so it's a vicious cycle. There are just no jobs out there for me at all. It feels like it'll never end and I will never find work. It feels like we've been thrown on the scrap heap."

It comes after official figures show the UK's unemployment rate rose slightly to five per cent in the three months to March from 4.9 per cent in the three months to February. The latest official figures also reveal the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds is 16.2 per cent, the highest since late 2014.

It also comes as official estimates suggested 957,000 people aged 16 to 24 in the UK – 12.8 per cent of that age group – were not in education, employment or training between October and December 2025.