Competition in the Labor Market in Big Cities - Term Paper Example

The paper “Competition in the Labor Market, Traffic Jams, Purchase and Other Issues Tied with Life in Cities" is an excellent example of a term paper on social science. Most people move to big cities because they are associated with fun, countless job opportunities, and life experiences. However, with these goodies, there comes the bad aspect associated with the big cities. Life in the cities makes people work hard to sustain themselves, hence the creation of competition. According to the United Nations projections, over fifty-four percent of the total population lives in urban regions a figure that is believed to rise to sixty-six percent by 2050 (United Nations, 2014).

The dense population in these cities results in numerous problems. The paper will analyze some of the problems experienced by the people living in big cities. Jobs: The big cities have more job opportunities than smaller cities. However, these job opportunities are matched by an extremely high number of people competing for a single job opportunity. The increased job competition makes one’s job search increasingly frustrating. In these big cities, the demand for jobs is greater than the supply.

Due to this reason, people become jobless, unable to afford life in big cities and support themselves with their families. As a result of high levels of unemployment, the standard of living reduces significantly lowering the consumer purchasing index that leads to a lower gross domestic product. The lack of employment also contributes to the high usage of drugs to overcome frustrations (Barkan, 2015). The people: Diversity is considered an important aspect of society. However, to other people in the big cities, diversity is a problem they encounter in their daily lives.

The diverse communities offer the cities a large populace, resulting in overcrowding. There are two types of crowding in big cities namely household and residential crowding. A large number of people in the big cities can get overwhelming when one is not accustomed to the large human crowds. The cities are always crowded with people present at every turn that one makes. Though some people enjoy the immense multitudes, others prefer the quiet and peace associated with small towns and in the suburbs.

Traffic congestion: Large cities are associated with massive traffic bottlenecks. Mostly, people suffer from rush-hour traffic to and from work. In the big cities, most families have more than one car for convenience purposes when the parents don’t work in the same part of town (Barkan, 2015). Traffic congestion results in stress that can lead to increased mental problems in large cities. According to Barkan (2015), the traffic congestion in the United States causes the nation a loss of a hundred and fifteen million dollars per year in relation to time wasted and fuel.

Crime: The big cities have higher crime rates than most regions. The population has a higher chance of being a victim of a crime than the population in small towns and the suburbs. The crimes in the big cities range from minor to capital crimes, and more serious offenses are higher than in the smaller cities. People in big cities turn to crime due to a lack of other means to cater for themselves. When people move to the cities with little financial resources in the hope of accessing better-paying jobs and the jobs are not forthcoming the alternative they seek is involving themselves in criminal activities.

Barkan (2015), states that the violent rate of crime was about four times higher in big cities per every 100000 residents. The large population in the big cities provides an opportunity for criminals to develop. The overcrowding in the big cities provides more potential targets per square radius than in any other localities (Barkan, 2015). Both residential and household crowding contributes to the increased crime rates in big cities. Pollution: The cities experience varied forms of pollution owing to the increased activities and population in these cities.

There are various types of pollution experienced by people living in big cities. These forms of pollution include air, water, and noise pollution. The most alarming pollution in the cities is air pollution. Traffic congestion, factories, and other daily activities pollute the air in big cities (Barkan, 2015). When factories use fossil fuels to power their operations, they emit carbon dioxide that reduces the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. The increased traffic also uses fossil fuels like gasoline that burns to produce carbon dioxide.

Water pollution in the big cities is also caused by the large factories that dispose of their waste into the rivers. The drainage systems in the big cities also contribute significantly to the pollution of water. Polluted water can cause various waterborne diseases when not treated before consumption. Noise pollution results from the various activities in large cities. Traffic, corporations, individuals, and other factors contribute to the increased noise pollution in the cities (Barkan, 2015).

Big-City life has numerous problems associated with it like the ones discussed in the paper. The more people that move into these cities, the more the problems increase. An increase in the city’s population indicates an increase in the number of vehicles, criminals, victims, and the market for different goods and services. These are some of the causes that have been seen to influence the problems people living in the big cities regularly face. However, the cities are increasing with projections indicating that more people would rather stay in the city.

In 1990, there existed ten mega-cities in the world with each having over ten million residents and a combined population of a hundred and fifty-three million people. In 2014, the mega-cities had increased worldwide providing a home to over four hundred and fifty-three million people or about twelve percent of the world’s total population.