Unemployment: Discussion And Proposed Solution
Introduction
I think the real problem facing not only our country but the world outside there currently is unemployment. The number of jobs available cannot meet the demand for jobs by people out there. Having such a high unemployment rates have been cited by several economists as the source of a number of other social and economic problems. In this text, I discuss the current situation as regards unemployment in my community today and how it has been tackled in the past. I also come up with a proposed solution to this problem and explore ways which I believe if implemented, unemployment will be a thing of the past.
The issue of unemployment in my community
In my community, we have been having high unemployment levels for a very long time. It is not unusual to see many young people who are otherwise highly educated idling around with nothing much to do. We have many young men who by their age are supposed to be rising families’ choosing to remain single. It’s very difficult to support a family if you can’t support yourself without some form of income. Some families have no working family member who at least can support the rest of the family. With nothing to eat we have some parents sending young children to the streets to beg. This is a trend which seems to have started a while ago because we now have several street families in every corner of the street. As Thompson (2009) says, unemployment has a domino effect on several other issues. It brings about frustration at both the individual and family level and sets off other ills such as crime and drug addiction.
Solutions that have been advanced
The government and other non governmental agencies have tried to remedy this problem but without success. We had a Foreign Agency giving some handouts and food to the poorest families. This resulted in a situation whereby people became completely dependent such agencies for their wellbeing. Then there was an early retirement program by the government. The effect of early retirement on the labor market is the reduction in the supply of labor (Stone 2009). It once again failed because the government was solving the right problem with the wrong solution.
The proposed solution
Unemployment can be kept under control to a great extent by an increase in government spending. If the government increases it’s spending on infrastructure, hospital and school projects etc, then the locals employed to oversee this projects will get more disposable income that will make them demand goods and services. The demands in goods and services will stimulate their production and hence entrepreneurial behavior that will bring about more employment & disposable income for locals. Hence it will act like a circle for the greater good of everybody. Some economists like McConnell et al. (2009) have disputed this approach terming employment a necessary evil for the prevention of inflation. I think if government spending is structured and implemented in the right and systematic way, then we don’t have to worry about inflation.
Conclusion
It has been noted that high unemployment rates can cause civil unrest and in some cases even trigger a revolution. To tackle an increase in this problem the government needs to be more innovative and decisive in its approach.
References
McConnell, C. R., Brue, S.L., & Flynn, S.M. (2009). Economics: Principles, problems, and policies, 18th Edition. New York: McGraw Hill
Stone, J., McCraw, J. (2009). Unemployment: The shocking truth of its causes, its outrageous consequences and what can be done about it. Canada: Traford publishing
Thompson, S. (2006). Unemployment, poverty and health in interwar South Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales press
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