Unemployment: A Growing Social Demon

“The hardest work in the world is being out of work.” – Whitney M. Young

Unemployment is a grave issue facing society.

It can kill the dreams of budding youth and even suppress the hopes of seasoned professionals.

But what exactly causes unemployment?

And why do educated youth lack adequate opportunities to put their knowledge to use and earn a decent living?

According to the UN, the number of unemployed persons globally stands at approximately 188 million. In addition to this, 165 million persons do not have sufficient paid work whilst 120 million persons have either given up actively searching for work or lack access to the labor market.

These numbers are alarming and face the threat of increasing higher.

Based on my personal experience of having faced unemployment in many circumstances of life to my journey as a Life Coach in which I’ve counselled various unemployed youth, I can assure you that unemployment can’t be reduced to one issue but is interweaved with several factors.

The Four Factors Influencing Unemployment

There are four main parties whom I have identified to collectively feed this social demon referred to as “unemployment”.

These four entities are: the Worker group, the Employer group, the Industry group, and the Government group.

To begin with, we’ll be discussing the Worker group in this article as it is an encompassing umbrella group consisting of three micro-sections: the Student-Worker group, Peer-Parents group, and Educational Institutions.

The Student-Worker Group

The Student-Worker group can be considered as the elementary stage in which unemployment begins its roots in.

This group comprises of students, fresh graduates, and/or inexperienced workers who are searching for employment.

Often uninformed on the importance of career planning, the Student-Worker group struggle with adequately marketing their knowledge, skills, and talents.

The term “personal branding”, which has been highlighted in previous articles, is unknown to this group and the common accepted belief is that a college degree and theoretical knowledge gained over the years is enough to guarantee a decent job.

In today’s day and age of technology, this is sadly not enough.

A well-structured resume and an established profile on social platforms such as LinkedIn can do wonders in boosting one’s educational qualifications and alleviating the struggles of getting a good job.

The Student-Worker group also often lack an understanding on choosing the right industry, job type, as well as the importance of understanding specialized jobs.

For this group, the web of unemployment is often woven through expectations of a higher salary, inflexibility in terms of mobility and rigidness to learn, unlearn and re-learn.

But who is shown to influence the youth the most? Parents and peers.

Peer-Parents Group:

The Peer-Parents group are responsible for the majority of advice given to those experiencing unemployment as they are often identified as trusted individuals one can depend on for guidance and counselling.

However, remember the tale-old proverb below:

“Advice is like mushrooms. The wrong kind can prove to be fatal.”

It is important to learn from the experiences of those whom have treaded the journey before; however, be wary of seeking advice from those who perhaps lack the understanding you require.

Parents are important pillars in our lives.

However, they may push you towards certain subjects or jobs that perhaps reflect their own personal unrealized dreams opposed to what would be the best fit for you.

So, use your prudence and listen intently to your inner call when considering decisions regarding your career as it will ultimately affect your job prospects.

Whilst developed nations have given career planning the much-needed importance it deserves through organizations such as educational institutions, developing countries have yet to shift their focus towards catering to this important aspect of life.

Educational Institutions:

Education institutions today tend to aim at promoting their subjects and courses opposed to truly understanding the diverse interests of students.

Students at this stage lack adequate industry understanding, and as a result, fall into the elusive trap of these institutions.

With its ever-growing nature, courses lose their sheen over some time.

Sticking to the same courses and rigid outdated curriculum will only produce a herd of unemployed youth who often complain of scarce job opportunities.

This further contributes to the growing imbalance between the demand and supply of job opportunities.

Unemployment stems from little pockets within society to cultivate into an ever growing social demon.

In our next following articles, we’ll be diving deeper into the other groups that contribute to unemployment.

Till we meet again, this is Nan Samy, your Life Coach and friend, signing off for now.

Stay happy and stay positive!