The Impact of Long Term Unemployment - Report Example

The Impact of Long Term Unemployment Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction Unemployment is a state that occurs when willing and able people cannot find jobs which they can do for a gain. It is a grave social misfortune which affects economies adversely by lowering the income of those not having jobs and making their living to be very hard. The condition of unemployment also occurs when people are involuntarily out of work either due to temporary illnesses, compulsory non-paid leaves or through layoffs which may occur due to lapse of the period agreed on in the employment contract. Such people remain unengaged in any rewarding occupation and remain vulnerable. Unemployment can also be defined as the number of people in a given nation that are within the thriftily active population that have the ability and willingness to work but are unable to obtain a job. These may be the people between 18 to 67 years of age but may vary from one nation to another. Individuals and groups more likely to be unemployed Unemployment has been a great challenge for many nations especially the developing countries (MacLean & Osberg, 1996). Most governments have taken different measures in an attempt to lower the unemployment levels so as to improve the living standards of their people. However, this has not been fully successful and certain groups of people have continually remained unemployed due to certain recurring conditions which create further unemployment within such groups. Illiterate people and other individuals having inadequate skills have always found it hard to find any job. Such groups are viewed by many industries as unproductive and thus may not qualify for jobs that are technology intensive or involving great reasoning. The lack of adequate and relevant education in developing nations has created more unemployment for many people living them poor. People with different forms of disabilities have also been faced with unemployment problems for long. Their ability to perform different tasks is in most times less or wanting compared to that of physically able people. Disabled people lack equal opportunities as able people and thus cannot compete well for the few employment opportunities that which may be on offer. For example, deaf and blind people cannot compete for employment positions which require people to involve the senses of listening and sight respectfully. Disabled people have thus remained unemployed because of their physical state and only a few get employed in jobs that are light or not highly strenuous. The young and old groups in most nations have also been faced with unemployment problems. Most young people especially below the age of 18 years are considered as minors and are engaged in learning in different institutions. They cannot get employed since they are young and their employment is prohibited by most nations as it is considered as child labor. The very old people may remain unemployed after retirement and may not qualify for competitive jobs. Migrants and refugees that free countries faced with calamities such as wars, earthquakes and other natural disasters find it difficult to get ready employment opportunities in the countries they free to and thus remain unemployed. Smaller communities considered as minorities may be faced with unemployment because of racism. Impact of unemployment on individuals’ health and well being Unemployment impacts negatively on the individual health and well being of people who face it. The condition puts these groups to poor living standards and many cannot meet their basic needs. For many of these groups, good health comes as a secondary need due to the state of their income. The eating habits of these people are poor and this exposes them to many health problems. The purchasing power of unemployed people is limited since their disposable income is very low. For this reason, many cannot afford good health care from qualified hospitals. Due to their state of meager incomes, many visit local government hospitals which are cheap as they cannot visit private hospitals where there are good doctors and modern technologies of treatment (MacLean & Osberg, 1996). In Australia, the unemployment rate is around 5.4 per cent of the population according to the government’s Bureau of Statistics. Many of this people are faced with deteriorating health problems among other problems. Due to lack of adequate income, the sick turn to traditional forms of treatment which are ineffective. In most of the families faced with unemployment problems illiteracy levels are also high. The people do not practice hygienic ways of living and suffer from various diseases. Mortality rates are very high for all stages of age with the rates being exceedingly high for children below the age of five years. Unemployment effects on peoples ability to access services People faced with unemployment find it difficult to satisfy all their basic needs. Their ability to access basic services is crippled by their state of inadequate income. Such people find it hard to interact freely with others and cannot participate wholly in projects that concern their communities. Due to their limited income and low standards of living, families faced with unemployment cannot access good hospitals and schools. Their illiteracy levels remain high since they cannot afford to educate their children. Education does not stand out as a priority for the families as the little income available is spend on food, clothing and shelter. The ability of unemployed groups to access transport and communication services is also limited. Such groups may not afford telephony communication or the cost of traveling to different places where there could be a demand for the services they are able to offer which could lead to employment. These groups are also unable to afford the services offered by the judicial processes and may in most times be unable to find justice in good time. They are not able to afford qualified lawyers to represent them in court processes and do not win on cases that they could have had good grounds for their actions. Unemployment cripples the individuals that face it since it is a vicious cycle where unemployment causes further unemployment. The opinions and efforts of unemployed individuals concerning community projects are in most times ignored by the elite as they down look them even when their input could have been feasible. Unemployment impact on the wider community The problem of unemployment widens the gap between the rich and the poor and affects a nation’s economic growth adversely. The growing inequalities raise the dependency ratios where a small group of people; those employed, have the role of taking care of a large number of people; the unemployed (MacLean & Osberg, 1996). These results to an increase in the poverty levels as majority of people in the communities depend on handouts from those that are prosperous. The few in the community that are working are burdened by charities that are formed to take care of those lacking. The savings made by the employed groups are minimal since they have little left after sharing their income with those unemployed. The little savings lead to a decline in investment and economic development. The slow growing economy can only offer a handful of jobs which are taken up by a few people in the society resulting to more unemployment. Unemployment also causes an increase in corruption and other forms of crime to the wider society. Those employed in public offices misuse their positions for selfish gains and do not serve as required. Crimes such as theft increase among the communities as many people find themselves idle and without a source of income. The problem causes some people to engage in commercial frauds such as money laundry which adversely affects the economic forces of demand and supply. This results to inflation and an imbalance of the equilibriums in the economic forces. Social policy on unemployment The plight of individuals faced with unemployment has caught the eyes of many governments and charitable organizations and different measures have been put to help their condition. Most governments have addressed the unemployment problem through the formation and funding of social policies that try to ensure that the basic needs of the less fortunate are met (MacLean & Osberg, 1996). The Pensioner Education Scheme is one of the social policies formed by the Australian government through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to better the lives of their citizens by coming up with opportunities for economic and collective involvement of individuals, families and communities. The scheme was formed to help children from families faced with unemployment attain quality education which can earn them good jobs. The target is usually on children coming form single parent families, physically disabled parents, illiterate people and immigrants. Other people such as widowers and single parents also qualify for the scheme. The scheme also helps those in employment to undertake both part-time and full-time studies in helping them advance their careers and standards of living (MacLean & Osberg, 1996). The scheme has also helped many people working in jobs less rewarding advance their studies at less cost. These people have been empowered through the acquisition of better skills which make them competitive in the employment market. The scheme works together with JETFCA in helping parents with babies and still working in their studies. The scheme allows them to pay less for their studies and to work for less ours and helps them to strike a balance between childcare and studies in consideration of financial constraints. Charitable organizations have also played a big role in helping the less fortunate. The Brotherhood of St. Laurence has worked hard in Australia to help the disadvantaged at all stages of life and empowering them to improve their lifestyles. The organization mobilizes funds from well wishers to support the needy giving priority to childcare and health issues (The Brotherhood of St. Laurence, 1976). Conclusion The unemployment problem has remained a big problem all over the world. The problem is usually more pronounced in developing nations affecting people across these nations in different ways. The developed economies have also been affected by the problem since it leads to a decline in the global demand for commodities and services leading to low production and further unemployment. The developed nations are forced to spare some funds from their annual budgets to assist less developed nations through donations and aid. However, the problem can be minimized through good economic policies and the use of public funds well. All nations need to be encouraged to increase their savings, investment and production to help lower the unemployment rates. Governments should also come up with good educational policies to enable learners to train in appropriate courses from which they can get jobs and better their lives. Bibliography MacLean, B.K. & Osberg, L. 1996. The Unemployment crisis: all for nought? London: McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP. The Brotherhood of St. Laurence. 1976. The Brotherhood of St. Laurence: an introduction. Canberra: Brotherhood of St. Laurence. Read More

The young and old groups in most nations have also been faced with unemployment problems. Most young people especially below the age of 18 years are considered as minors and are engaged in learning in different institutions. They cannot get employed since they are young and their employment is prohibited by most nations as it is considered as child labor. The very old people may remain unemployed after retirement and may not qualify for competitive jobs. Migrants and refugees that free countries faced with calamities such as wars, earthquakes and other natural disasters find it difficult to get ready employment opportunities in the countries they free to and thus remain unemployed.

Smaller communities considered as minorities may be faced with unemployment because of racism. Impact of unemployment on individuals’ health and well being Unemployment impacts negatively on the individual health and well being of people who face it. The condition puts these groups to poor living standards and many cannot meet their basic needs. For many of these groups, good health comes as a secondary need due to the state of their income. The eating habits of these people are poor and this exposes them to many health problems.

The purchasing power of unemployed people is limited since their disposable income is very low. For this reason, many cannot afford good health care from qualified hospitals. Due to their state of meager incomes, many visit local government hospitals which are cheap as they cannot visit private hospitals where there are good doctors and modern technologies of treatment (MacLean & Osberg, 1996). In Australia, the unemployment rate is around 5.4 per cent of the population according to the government’s Bureau of Statistics.

Many of this people are faced with deteriorating health problems among other problems. Due to lack of adequate income, the sick turn to traditional forms of treatment which are ineffective. In most of the families faced with unemployment problems illiteracy levels are also high. The people do not practice hygienic ways of living and suffer from various diseases. Mortality rates are very high for all stages of age with the rates being exceedingly high for children below the age of five years. Unemployment effects on peoples ability to access services People faced with unemployment find it difficult to satisfy all their basic needs.

Their ability to access basic services is crippled by their state of inadequate income. Such people find it hard to interact freely with others and cannot participate wholly in projects that concern their communities. Due to their limited income and low standards of living, families faced with unemployment cannot access good hospitals and schools. Their illiteracy levels remain high since they cannot afford to educate their children. Education does not stand out as a priority for the families as the little income available is spend on food, clothing and shelter.

The ability of unemployed groups to access transport and communication services is also limited. Such groups may not afford telephony communication or the cost of traveling to different places where there could be a demand for the services they are able to offer which could lead to employment. These groups are also unable to afford the services offered by the judicial processes and may in most times be unable to find justice in good time. They are not able to afford qualified lawyers to represent them in court processes and do not win on cases that they could have had good grounds for their actions.

Unemployment cripples the individuals that face it since it is a vicious cycle where unemployment causes further unemployment. The opinions and efforts of unemployed individuals concerning community projects are in most times ignored by the elite as they down look them even when their input could have been feasible. Unemployment impact on the wider community The problem of unemployment widens the gap between the rich and the poor and affects a nation’s economic growth adversely.

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