We were talking about a possible change in the system, aren't we? So what if the state said "ok, these are areas where we currently don't have the funding to employ people but it would be good if there were people to do something" and made the longer term unemployed pitch in at least part time? I think "being useful" would help those who can't find a job by no fault of their own gain back some confidence and would cut down on the "yay, free money!" attitude of the others.

I don't believe that benefits should exceed the current 400 days maximum, it would probably make very little difference if it was reduced to 200 days. The people that could not find any work at all in 200 days time will likely end up on social benefits.

Especially if they are older.(which is reflected in the payment formulae.)

The job finding process is so long in this country that it can sometimes take 3 months from beginning to end with no guarantee of the job.

If you find out that you need to retrain (due to health, age, obsolete knowledge, language etc.), you need a long lead time before even applying for jobs.

Recent changes have made it much stricter and less generous than in past times.

Regarding the lying on the beach comment - I know of someone who went back to Spain (their original homeland) for a couple of weeks and was either shopped or discovered by airline information. She was penalised for three months benefits. The RAV do not let you take holidays for the first 6 months of unemployment (so I was told) and they ensure you are too busy to do this anyway. I was told that i could only go to the UK from Friday night until early Sunday morning, otherwise I would lose the extra days.
I suppose dossing around Switzerland would be easier for those who wanted to. You could easily get back for an emergency meeting.

My wife has seasonal work and the RAV is good at smoothing the financial edges of this type of work during lean periods when the employment contact is forcibly reduced. Construction and agricultural workers also use this top up facility to enable them to keep families in basics during winter when it is impossible to work.

To be quite honest the only piss takers I have seen are people with multiple degree's PHD's who are over qualified & won't consider slightly more modest positions.
I remember someone complaining that he was too qualified with a PHD, imagine the look on the idiots face when I suggested leaving the PHD off his CV, then he would be perfectly qualified for the jobs on offer!