Unemployment in the United Kingdom 2009

Part of the explanation is that part-time jobs are replacing full-time employment. The perception of unemployment in many working-class and ethnic minority communities is also influenced by the fact that men, the traditional breadwinners, are denied full-time jobs, while women take most of the new part-time work. In poor areas men, especially those without qualifications, are now just as likely as women to be at home caring for children.

The “retired” (over 50, but under 65) category includes citizens who are made redundant in their fifties (or even earlier) and, especially if they are working-class and unqualified, have very little prospect of finding employment again. Statisticians deal in numbers and percentages but the reality is that the figures are about the exclusion of human beings from the labour market, and all that that entails.

The early retired lose the social benefit of working with others and frequently cannot afford to join clubs and groups as a substitute. The collapse of private pension schemes means that, unless urgent action is taken, the plight of many workers who retire in the future will be even worse.

The trend from full-time to part-time employment has resulted in a very different situation from the one described by Harold Wilson in the 1960s when he said: “every person unemployed is 100% unemployed”. The number of people recorded as employed (some 28 million) are certainly not all 100% (full-time) employed.

Casualisation of the Workforce

Increasing “casualisation” of the workforce also means that workers have less contractual protection and it is more difficult for trade unions to represent and defend them. An increasing number of employers use agencies to escape contractual responsibility for the workers they employ.

Although governments and employers refer, frequently, to the benefits of this flexible labour market, they are shy about explaining what these “benefits” are. They are even less forthcoming in answering the question: “Who benefits?”

It is now clear that the benefits of employing casual workers are benefits to employers. They are able to sack workers quickly, often without any redundancy payment obligations. It is also apparent that more women than men are affected.

The Urgency of Radical Policy Changes

Rapidly rising unemployment in 2009 means that radical policy changes are necessary and urgent. These should include an expansion of numbers in further education to create places for the large numbers currently denied opportunities.

Although some steps have been taken to create new jobs, a great deal more needs to be done. The strategy must include that government borrowing required in the short term is repaid, over the next five years, by higher taxation on the wealthy and on companies making excessive profits.

Readers interested in a wider discussion of the policy changes required may wish to visit my Blog wwwafairdeal.blogspot.com