My wife had a similar experience, plus she knew someone who worked in a job centre so heard the stories. People who they know want work will get it, she got a job after about 4 weeks of looking and they were almost amazed as most of the people there had been on it for a long, long time. Most long enough to get the 'bonus' they did/do? i.e. be out of work for over 3 months (I think) and they gave you something like a couple of hundred quid!