David Crosbie has not worked since January and after four months of chasing dwindling numbers of jobs in his field, is now ready to do pretty much anything.
"I'm prepared to give anything a go . . . I'm prepared to dig holes right now," he told the Otago Daily Times.
Mr Crosbie, with "best friend" Big Ears, his collie bitch, set up his sign at the State Highway 1 intersection with Andersons Bay Rd at 7.30am yesterday.
By 10am he had had many waves of support and one woman had opened her car door to wish him luck, which had lifted his spirits.
By 11.50am he had the offer of a job as a casual fish packer for Blue Water Products Ltd.
Owner Ross Hutchison told the Otago Daily Times three of his casuals had turned down work yesterday morning because they had Work and Income training courses to attend.
He said he was "desperately short" of casual workers, who started on the minimum wage, plus holiday pay, and could work their way into more permanent positions.
By 2pm, Mr Crosbie had walked to the fish factory and accepted two days' casual work and was planning to start work at 8am today.
Mr Crosbie said he had taken to the street to find a job because he believed there was no help available to people in his situation.
He was a self-employed tradesman, with no dependants and a wife who worked.
Mr Crosbie said he had spoken to Work and Income three times by phone but he had been left with the impression he was not eligible for a benefit and was not able to use its services to find a job.
A Winz spokesman said yesterday the organisation had no record of Mr Crosbie but anyone who was unemployed was encouraged to use its services and jobs were listed on its website.
Describing himself as a "jack of all trades and a master of two", Mr Crosbie said he was a plasterer by trade but had recently done a photography course and would like, one day, to work in that area.
Mr Crosbie has previously worked as a forklift driver, a storeman, and as a sports store salesman.
