Ahem - a large proportion of unskilled/low skilled jobs here are agency jobs, where a contract of any type would be a bonus. I've been there - turn up on Monday, "Sorry, no work today" and too late to find anything else. It sounds like the French have it good!
Not having a pop at anyone individual, but the assumptions made about low-paid work and how it works, particularly on the BBC Have Your Say and the like, by those lucky enough to have contracts etc to worry about is amazing, and seemingly based soley on press stories about Council or NHS workers. I strongly reccommed a year of trying it to those who need to comment - I have. I've had the stupidity of having to fill in a complete new dole claim form because I was stupid enough to admit to getting 16 hours agenecy work in a week rather thay lying like I should saying I only did 15 so I just had to sign a form, I have the pleasure of joining the queue at 9.00 pm outside a parcel distributor hoping to get picked that night (having forked out £10.00 to get there, and no way of getting it back if there's no work), I've had the pleasure of the threatening letter for the council tax people because I had no way of paying it as I'd had no work that week, but wasn't technically unemployed that week because I been stupid enough to do a couple of days work. etc etc etc.
I've also been homeless as well a good few years back. That's another experience some should try, to find out just what *really* goes on.
Go, try it. Then come back and comment.
Cheers Richard