The problems associated with unemployment can and are extensive. This can range from the personal effects that occur to the individual to the effects that reach out and affect others or the community. Examples of this are occasionally higher crime rates when unemployment is significant especially in a localized area. These effects can affect the community by creating a higher reliance on social programs such as unemployment insurance, food stamps and welfare. High unemployment rates also keeps pay rates down due to higher number of people competing for the same jobs. The lower paying jobs may be available but they only offer a short term relief from the unemployment problem. These lowing paying jobs can be more of an obstacle for the unemployed than a resource. Often, they do not pay enough for someone to maintain their lifestyle and they can be mentally detrimental as well. If this is the alternative, the individual that may have loss his or her job and picked this up for a short term may not be available for the opportunity in their field of work.

After all of this, what can possibly be positive about unemployment? In The Two Faces of Unemployment, there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is not one of those freight trains such as not being able to pay bill or loss of self-esteem. This is the Positive aspect of unemployment that most people overlook. Every once in a while, you will come across an article in one of the business magazines that will address these aspects. Most of these articles start something like this: "I Got Fired and it was the Best Thing that Happened To Me!" How many businesses get started just that way? Someone is in a dead-end job going nowhere and getting there fast. They always have had a desire to run their own business and they have had this idea in the back of their mind forever but didn't have the courage to leave the comfort of their job (the one that they hated). Now you're reading in the business magazine about this great little company that is coming along rather nicely and the company's owner started this business after his last employer fired him.

<< Previous    1  [2]  3    Next >>