Times letters: Getting the unemployed back into work

Sir, Jeremy Hunt and Mel Stride have missed the opportunity to create a more informed debate on how to support people back into work (“When the going gets tough, Britons show their resilience”, comment, May 15). Perpetuating the assumption that unemployment is a lifestyle choice represents a simplistic level of analysis that would almost be comical if it weren’t harming people living with mental illness and adding to their distress. Many of the people we support long to see an improvement in their health but face lengthy waits as an under-resourced health service struggles to meet rising demand. Then there are the barriers into work, and the need for appropriate support from employers to help people stay there. We face entrenched, systemic challenges that are