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Lazy, workshy, even spongers. There's some pretty extreme language used to describe unemployed people.

Unemployment in the UK went up from 1.6 million to 2.2 million over the 12 months before March 2009, meaning that over 7% of the workforce is currently unemployed.

Over the same time period, the number of advertised job vacancies fell, as did average earnings and the number of people claiming benefits.

With managers and skilled workers getting the chop, commentators have said this is a more middle class recession than previous ones, so it follows on that there are people facing unemployment for the first time, maybe in their family's history. If this is the case, then stereotypes of what it's like to be unemployed will have to be confronted.

So what's it like living on benefit money as a young, single man? I'm going to find out. Starting on the 8th of June, I'm going to be living for a week on the money I'd receive if I was on jobseeker's allowance. No more, no less.

Monday

On my first day of living on jobseeker's allowance, I give my thoughts on my budget for the week, and how I got on on public transport:

Tuesday

With day 2 under the belt and having been to the job centre, here's my verdict on the service they offer, as well as how I got on doing a food shop for the week:

A few bits

Here鈥檚 what 拢15.65 buys - it's what I have to get through the week. After this shop I've got 拢5.11 left to last me until Sunday.

Thursday

On day 4 I'm looking at whether being unemployed prevents you getting the best deals for things?

Final Entry

Having finished the week, I assesses how it went and whether it's possible to have a decent standard of living on jobseeker's allowance:

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