As important as voluntary work is, I don’t think it should influence government benefits in long-term job seekers.
Long-term job seekers should not be made to do voluntary work because of government benefits. This does not say a lot about their value. If someone is made to do voluntary work in service or hope of getting a permanant job, then it is not right at all. It depicts ones moral value and ethic sense. For instance, a particular participant wanted to apply to a government agency as an officer. And such person was told to do some voluntary work like coordinating activities in the society if they hope to stay long on the job. This is not only right but also dangerous as it can also cause a sense entitlement in such participant. They may feel entitled that as long as they do some voluntary work, then their stay on the job is guaranteed. And in the quest of giving back to the community, they abandon their primary assignments.
Another reason for this is because most people will not take their job serious anymore. It can make them think that the traditional process of staying on the job does not matter, and that all they need to do is to do a lot of voluntary work. It can also give the wrong impression of dedicated people on the job to new participants, as they will think the only thing they did to get where they are is basically “doing voluntary work”.
While it is important to give back to the community, it should not be a criteria for long-term job seekers for government benefits.