What counts as being employed?

My uncle retired early from a very senior post in the civil service early. When he was settled in his new home he went down to the job centre to look for a job because his pension was quite limited until he was 60.

He was told very brusquely that they, effectively had no jobs for the likes of him. He pointed out that the local shoe factory was looking for operatives. They were absolutely horrified that a man who had held a senior management position would be prepared to work in a factory. My uncle got a job in the factory and worked on the assembly line there until it closed down 5 years later.

DH used to be an area manager before he because surplus to requirements and had to visit the local job centre. He told them he was willing to take any job and any hours. They made him feel like rubbish for six months. After six months he was supposed to be able to take training courses but they said there was no money to pay for them so he couldn't. Then the jumped up little man suggested he went to the local college for free basic literacy and numeracy classes. DH pointed out that he was perfectly literate and numerate but that in the seventies it was possible to leave school with no exams whilst still being educated and how did he think he'd been an area manager if he was illiterate.

The jumped up little man said that he didn't realise DH had been a manager (it was in his file but no one had read it) and that they hadn't put him forward for jobs because they thought he couldn't read or write. DH bit his tongue because if he'd have told them what he thought he would have had his JSA stopped. That week he found three cleaning jobs on his own each for a few hours but it was work and paid more than JSA.

Having recently lost my job DWP expect you to be available for work a minimum of 40 hours a week.
Just had 4th visit to extremely depressing local (30mile round trip) job centre where, quite frankly, you are made to feel as unworthy as possible. It has now been decided that minuscule NHS pension makes me ineligible for Jobseekers Allowance, which they must have known from online forms filled in 6weeks ago!
Told 'we have to go through the process', resulting in lady tearing up my paperwork in front of me.
I truly feel so sorry for others having to sign in etc.
I almost felt threatened by bloke dealing with me at first visit, apparently dire consequences if I failed to complete umpteen pieces of paper and not attending every single appointment- never on time and some lasted less than 3 minutes.
Do these people have to make things so humiliating? I had a enormous security bloke looming nearby, am sure he was listening to every word too.
Not very happy today so going to have big cup of coffee and finish off packet of chocolate biscuits whilst surfing GN, some threads never fail to make me smile!