Workers Of The World Relax, Universal Automation Hits Google Store

Reblogged from The Void:

Iain Duncan Smith’s plans to force claimants to spend 35 hours a week endlessly applying for unsuitable jobs via the DWP’s shoddy jobsearch website have suffered another humiliating blow.

Universal Automation, which was recently released as a trial version, has now been launched in google’s Chrome store and is free to download.  The app automatically applies for jobs on Universal Jobmatch, the Jobcentre website that claimants are often forced to use as a condition of claiming benefits*.
According to the developers the latest version has several new features:

• You can now set all Universal Jobmatch search parameters in the extension options. We added distance, posting date and job type.
• The extension will apply for jobs on all pages of search results, not just the first one. To control that, you can set the maximum number of jobs the extension will apply for in a single session.
• When the extension finishes applying, you can see a report with all jobs that were applied for.
• There is a new delay option. It can be used to slow down automated applications so that the extension behaves more like a human using Universal Jobmatch.

Universal Automation was recently featured on The Guardian website, where those behind the app explained that the project was about more than just making life easier for unemployed people and winding up Iain Duncan Smith, but also aimed to highlight the drudgery of much of the work we do:

“We need to look at structural issues, such as role of unemployment in capitalist economy in general and also the particular condition of British economy at the moment. Basically most of work we do is at best socially useless and at worst actively harmful. Constant banging on about strivers, hard-working families, the squeezed middle and so on is only meant to obscure that,”

Whilst the app has designed to appear as ‘human’ as possible, obviously claimants should us this at their own risk.  As ever @refuted has good advice on twitter: “Would suggest anyone mandated to use #Jobmatch should create alternative account for experimenting with”.

To report any bugs or suggest improvements Universal Automation can be contacted via their website or @UniversalAutoma.  You can download the app at the link below in the time it takes to put the kettle on.  As the collective behind the app say themselves ‘Workers of the world … relax’.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/universal-automation/apfiloagjkhkilmdhlhppcnfpldmceke
The collective are blogging on tumblr at: http://universalautomation.tumblr.com/

* Whilst registration on the Unversal Jobmatch website can be compelled, there is currently no requirement to tick the box allowing the DWP to snoop on your jobsearch (you can also untick the box which asks if they can send you emails).  You should be under no obligation to use the website anywhere but Jobcentres and there is really no need to tell the DWP if you have a home computer.