[metafunctor]

I agree that people need something meaningful to do, and don't always find it for themselves. I'm afraid that forcing people to a job might feel more like a kind of slavery than a stepping stone.

It could work if the jobless are "socially placed" into existing workplaces. Creating gangs of unemployed people to paint roads, however, would only enforce the low status of the jobs and the people doing them. There is no motivation and strength to be found there.

If basic income is low enough, then people could choose themselves to either scrape by (which is nigh impossible in Finland for 560 euros) or find additional sources of income for themselves. It's always better if your job is by choice rather than forced on you.