@brimel, montignac

Brimel, please do your sums correctly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darren Ward, Manchester, UK

A time of rising unemployment is not the best moment to launch a campaign like this one.

Martin, Newmarket, Suffolk

BrummyDoug - I couldn't agree more

Mullarkian, York,

Brown is finding out the hard way that a Soviet-style centrally planned economy doesn't work. If he wants to create sustainable employment in the UK, he needs to unpick much of the regulation introduced over the last ten years, especially the 'skills' quangos which have completely failed.

MarkS, Leeds,

Where are the jobs? And the cost to the tax payer of administering such a scheme? More fiddling while the UK burns. Labour, you need to WAKE UP. People are worse off working 40 min. wage hr weeks than they are on benefits. The jobs don't exhist. We dont manufacture we service. The UK is finished!

Chris, Notts,

Digging one hole and filling the old one is no answere?
All jobs must have a reason for their existance, the shops and
factories must produce needed goods, per consumers needs.

Cllr Ken Tiwari (Independent), oxford, United Kingdom

All these billions been borowed by the government to keep people in work will have to be paid back by our children.
When is the government going to learn, that they and the people have to live within there means. only then will we begin to build a stable economy. out of bancrupt britain now exists

armstrong, derby,

This is yet another gimmick from Nu Labour. Frankly, most businesses will be hard pushed to retain their own staff during the crisis, let alone start someone new.

Davi, Newcastle,

And just what jobs are these people going to do? And if there were any jobs half of Eastern Europe would be working in them.

Mark, Leeds,

£500 million! How far will that go when unemployment is rising as rapidly as it is! Brown et al are running round like headless chickens desperate to save their own jobs when they finally decide to go to the polls. Its far too late though. Depression here we come!

sophie smith, london, uk

How can people get a job where there are hardly any jobs?
It does not add up.
If companies are cutting back where is the incentive for them to employ?
Apprenticeships schemes should have been put in place years ago.
Too little too late .
And i am not aiming this at the Labour government ...

Adam Ball, London, England

so basically the government have been reduced to wasting even more public money bribing employers to hire british workers, it's only because of their disaterous immigration policies that they need to do this in the first place.

mark, bury st edmunds, uk

New Labour call it training. I call it, fiddling the unemployment figures before a general election to make the economy look not as bad as it actually is.

David, Harwich, UK

Do the Employers have to repay the money if they don't keep the Employee; or can they just get rid of them after a few months and claim another "bounty" for the next one; as happened last time a UK Government did this.

Martin, Poole, UK

When Gordon is going to create 100,000 new jobs, how does this tie in with the 70,000 civil service jobs he was going to cut during the 2005 election?
I find it staggering to think that some people still believe things that this government says.

Tom Mein, Chania, Crete

So the jobless must stay out of work and claiming Job Seekers for a full sixh months. That is quite a target to aspire to bearing in mind if you are not at the front of the queue at the Job Centre in time you lose it and start again at week one. My son has been trying to achieve that for 5 years now

Sue Doughty, Twyford, UK

More money wasted by grasping at straws!

The number of jobs available is FALLING! This is like trying to swim against the tide. It just won't work! No jobs = more unemployed. Accept it! Get on with it!

Of course this means more money will have to be available for benefits. From where?

Oh dear.

Darren Ward, Manchester, UK

"£2500 to get the jobless back to work". Yet another predictable Labour kneejerk reaction to events! It appears they never learn! Welcome Britain to 'Third World' status, thanks to New Labour. Mark my words, civil unrest is looming!

Rod Ballard, Leicester,

Labour could have invested this kind of money wisely in providing increasing the quality of the Jobcentre Plus service over the last decade, for example they could have provided better support, more incentives and initiatives and of course proper training programs. More soundbites....

AJ, Hove,

Hardly an adequate incentive when employees can cost employers thousands in spurious sick leave and threatened employment tribunals.
Present employment legislation is so weighted in favour of employees that it is mad to employ anyone at all that you absolutely do not have to.

BrummyDoug, Birmingham, England

Dear Gordon, why don.t you give the 65,000,000 inhabitants of the once great UK, £ 1,000,000 each!. that would only cost £65,000,000, a real bargain. We may even be willing to pay the tax on it, and vote for you next time. Sorry , delete the last remark, silly me !!!!.

brimel, montignac de lauzun, france

How much of the £2,500 "incentive" will be swallowed up in increased employer's NI contributions? Brown's panicking - and true to form he's throwing money at the problem, hoping some will stick.

Ian, London, UK

Firms only employ people if they generate more income than they cost (including significant NI costs ) # 2,500 is insignificant in this calculation especially given the cost of dismissal if things don't work out.

R James, Bristol,

Graham, Shaun,

The £2,500 is paid to EMPLOYERS - not to employees.

John, Bognor Regis, UK

I have been out of work for 2 years but can't claim Job Seekers Allowance.
Will I be entitled to the same 2500 pound incentive that an officially jobless person will get??? Yes we all know its NO.
Its looks as though its going to get even harder for me to find work, thanks to social engineering.

Graham, St. Albans, uk

There are those who want to work, Those who won't work and.. Those who pretend to look for work. Which ones will get the £2,500?
As Meatloaf once sang.... Two out of Three aint bad!!!
Last one to leave England, please turn out he lights!!

Shaun, Newcastle, Tyneside

With Respect the biggest Barriers I faced seeking work and keeping it were the negative and derogatory attitudes of Employers and the work force there was so much stigma/ discrimination going on regardless of how well I did the job, however keen I was to get the job stop the stigma first please.

Paul Davidson, Gateshead, England