The media may be full of depressing tales of redundancies, closures and lay-offs, tending to make even the most optimistic recruiter feel a tad edgy, but spare a thought for the plight of the Armed Forces.

According to Telegraph.co.uk, while candidates in other disciplines are being told to upskill, retrain and be fit for purpose, the Army is considering lowering its entry requirements and taking on clinically obese recruits who may be distinctly unfit for its purpose.

The move, which will also consider those with criminal records or visible tattoos, is designed to tackle the 3,200 unfilled posts, with vacancies particularly in signals, logistics and medical units.

As part of a £20m campaign aimed to attract civvies who may have lost their job in the downturn, the Army is considering whether it can “take more risks” with its entry standards. So the number of overweight recruits could increase, but as long as they slim down at the training camps.

An officer explained: “If you’re fat, you’ll have to burn it off in training. If you’ve been in trouble with the police, you’ll have to show you’ve matured and moved on.

“But we’re not going to put up with dross. This is about giving a chance to more people who might be turned away under current rules.” Mmm…