Unemployed.....

Unemployment is at a 17 year high. Official figures released by the government this week state that there are 2.67 million people with the capacity to work and who are currently seeking a job, however are not in employment. However, as is aptly shown by an article on the Guardian, these figures do not represent to real state of the situation – actually there could be as many as 6.9 million people currently searching for a job. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/feb/16/unemployed-uk-how-many?INTCMP=SRCH

I am now a member of this large cohort of our population and to be honest it’s a scary, overwhelming and socially awkward situation. Since I was 16 I have never once been out of work and in fact at times I have been employed in 3-4 jobs. So to not be working is a new and very strange situation. I have forgotten how it feels not to be economically active but in a roundabout way I feel that I am getting a lot from it.

Firstly I have been awakened to how massive a task it is to search for a job outside London (or any of the other larger cities in the UK). I am now living in Norfolk and I have been left wondering how anyone survives outside of London. That’s probably a bit extreme, but as someone who is pursuing a career in the charity sector unfortunately it is the harsh reality of it. The only charity jobs in the area are voluntary roles working in the local charity shop. Yes I could maybe do worse, however with someone with ambition, experience and a growing skill set it’s not my dream occupation. Moving straight back to London is also pretty much out of the question because as a pretty recent graduate with no savings in the bank I just can’t afford it. Basically I am being pushed out of a sector that I am so committed and dedicated to because I can’t afford to work in it. Isn’t that strange. It’s also lead me to realise that in fact to work in the third sector you actually need to come from a well off background (or just be from London) – you need someone to support you while you are completing years of internships so that you have the experience to go and work in the sector.

In recent years we have all been encouraged to go to university and get a degree. However now I believe that this has left us with a) too many graduates and b) a very skewed workforce. There are too many people with the same qualifications and skill sets which has meant that for people my age it has become much harder to find a job appropriate to your level of learning (1 million of the unemployed are between the ages of 16-25). It has also meant that there are also jobs not being filled in other professions. While there are 2.67 million unemployed, we are told that there are thousands of jobs out there. However, if people are overqualified or just won’t do the job (because it is below them) then we are left with a massive problem.

Then you are left with the social stigma of being unemployed. I will readily admit that in the past I have had a good moan about unemployed people. I hadn’t looked below the surface, however now I have I understand that unemployed people are not all the same! Yes, there are people who will remain unemployed because they don’t want to get a job, but then who can blame them when they will have more money if they remain on the dole. But actually (and is becoming more common) there are people like me who, because of their financial situation (or a long list of other things) just cannot find an appropriate job. We can all say ‘well just do any job’, but we all know how hard that can be and there’s only so far you can stretch this statement before you are left feeling utterly miserable.

As an unemployed person I do feel that I am viewed negatively in society. Yesterday my mum and I went to look at the local leisure centre and I was totally embarrassed when she asked the receptionist if they have special discounts for unemployed people. I thought about why I was embarrassed, and it went straight back to my own thoughts in the past about unemployed people and to the stereotype that our own society casts on these people.

The unemployment stereotype is a very cruel one and is definitely not one we can apply to 2.67 million people. Unfortunately as we all know stereotypes stick, however my eyes have really been opened to the fact that we should all be fighting against them. At the end of the day (and while I wouldn’t want to wish it on anyone) we never know what is round the corner. Hopefully a job for me!