The idea is to provide real people with the ability to sell their hours automatically.

In my current design you are always on the default PAYE scheme, which kicks in as soon as fewer than 35 hours are booked to another PAYE scheme. That drops you onto the “volunteer list” for the unbooked hours doing the “looking for a JG position” job by default (a rather more useful version of the current 35 hours “job seeking” requirement of Universal Credit - looking for jobs that cannot exist in aggregate).

You can then contact a Work Coach to have yourself taken off that job if you’d prefer not to bother with the process, or to investigate what is on offer and get something lined up. If you don’t contact a Work Coach, or they can’t easily contact you, then they will suspend payment until you do. Just as would happen if you didn’t turn up to work in any other job. I want the process to be automatic, and the registration and verification details submitted in the PAYE Returns by the previous PAYE employer. No forms to fill in.

Running through the usual use cases I believe this process handles full-time, part-time and temporary, whether they want to be engaged with the Job Guarantee or not.

Beyond that it’s up to you. But you only get paid for hours booked to the Job Guarantee. Since there is a job on offer, you will take it if you are short of money. If you’re not short of money and have savings or redundancy then you can take your time. Those with scarce skills higher up the tree will be able to negotiate those protections into their employment contracts - particularly if they unionise.

How long you can be on the “looking for a JG position” job before you are required to move on I’ve not really thought about very much (largely because I suspect everybody will want to get off it as soon as possible). I don’t believe there is a time limit in Universal Credit, but given the higher level of payment on the Job Guarantee perhaps you will have to put your case to a jury of your peers after a period of time - particularly if you can choose to go on the JG.