ENGLAND — As the world economy slips further and further into the unknown, the unemployed seek increasingly creative ways of earning a living – including sex work. Alas, the mainstream media and some alleged morality experts appear to prefer high rates of unemployment than an eclectic world of gainful employment, even in England.Recent press coverage within the island nation has alerted the populace to listings for 350 jobs within the sex industry during the past year. While that number is a small portion of the greater adult entertainment employment picture, the reason these 350 jobs are worthy of headlines is because they were made known by the government’s Jobcentre Plus agency.
According to the Telegraph, employment opportunities have ranged from lap dancers to lingerie models and topless waitresses, with the year ranging from August of 2007 to July of 2008 seeing openings for jobs including party planners, retail clerks, adult phone and webcam operators, escorts, warehouse workers, retail clerks and nude cleaners along with the 2.26 million other, less tantelizing listings.
Although some MPs have demanded that the legal positions not be advertised through he government agency, more than 5,500 people have applied for the 351 positions, which suggests that they are not without interested potential employees.
At one time, Jobcentre Plus refused adult employment listings, but a 2003 High Court ruling regarding the Ann Summers retail outlet brought about policy change, with the judges ruling that such discrimination against employment options was a disservice to the unemployed.
Nonetheless, some insist that offering sex positive employment might run afoul with the goal of ending sex discrimination. So concerned is that Department for Work and Pensions that it has published a consultation in its policy inquiring whether there is a contradiction in goals.
At issue for some is the fact that two applicants complained to Jobcentre Plus after being asked to perform sexual services.
Chris Grayling, the Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions, argues that “It is completely unacceptable that Jobcentres are advertising vacancies that are leading to sexual harassment,” which calls into question whether any other line of work has ever included unwanted harassment of a sexual or any other kind.
A representative for the Department of Work and Pensions insists that the agency has already started the work of helping protect vulnerable prospective applicants, stating that “We’ve already tightened up the rules to crack down on unscrupulous employers and we want to make absolutely sure that anyone who attempts to flout them and take advantage of people looking for work is dealt with.”
Further making the whole affair sounds like a massive tempest in a tiny teapot is the fact that a mere 0.015-percent of all vacancies listed by Jobcentre Plus have been concerned with adult entertainment.
