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| Graduates like me have entered a volatile and unsettled job market. And so have non-graduates. |
Many job seekers and those looking to expand the amount of work they do always have that recurring hope that their desires, hopes and ambitions within their own career can be fulfilled. Yet despite figures out today stating that unemployment has fallen, very few people have questioned the potential devil in the detail as far as the reality of the overall situation in the economy is concerned.
According to the Office of National Statistics, unemployment fell below two million between June and August 2014. The fall between a year earlier and now is 538,000 which is the largest annual fall in unemployment since records began in 1972. Yet the economic inactivity rate is still an eye watering 22.2%. For the sake of clarity, I tried to find an official definition of what "economic inactivity rate" meant on the Office for National Statistics website, but I was not successful.
However, according to the Scottish Government website, "economically inactive" was defined as people who weren't officially unemployed, but who aren't in employment and:
- Want a job but have not been seeking work in the last four weeks; or
- Want a job and are seeking work but not available to start work in the next two weeks; or
- Do not want a job.
So let's assume that being economically inactive is defined as such. How many people fall under this category, but who cannot find actual paid work or earn a living in order to satisfy their social and economic needs? And how many people fall under this category who want to be in a job that suits their own career needs, but are being shut out? And, on another note, how many people find themselves self-employed through no choice, but to stay afloat as much as they possibly can in the stormy sea?
That's the reality and the core of the whole problem that actually exists in our country, economy and society. There are talented graduates and non-graduates of all ages with a strong bank of experience and skills who cannot find a vacancy that helps them move on in life. There is a disturbing complacency amongst nearly everybody when it comes to the overall employment and job market situation.
And it's not just the fact that there is next to no work available in many areas, but when vacancies arise and candidates fulfil pretty much the criteria in an interview which would make them a perfect appointment, they still face the likelihood of being knocked back. That's the reality today. You could have all the experience and skills in the world, but it counts for nothing if you're not "it". I appreciate that the competition for vacancies is fierce, but that doesn't compensate for the frustration and injustice that has arisen more than ever for many talented people.
The release of the latest employment figures today reminded me of an early morning telephone call to London based talk radio station LBC when I spoke to Olly Mann about my own life and career earlier this year. More people might find themselves employed by name, but not in spirit. And as I remember stating to Olly, statistics are one thing, but the reality on the ground is another.
Let's all stop being naïve, give ourselves a good damn reality check and think properly about what's really happening out there.
Great blog post. It's all very easy for those in gainful full-time employment to believe the hype they're fed every so often by the government's figures, but the harsh reality is that 6.8million people are in part-time work because they can't find full-time jobs. That makes a huge difference to the economic reality that lies behind the claim that we're all doing very well thank you. Me? I AM comfortable in my job working from home, but I've also known the pain, worry and uncertainty that financial strife can bring when faced with a spell spent on the dole. That's why I not only care but get angry when some smug MP tells us how great we're doing. It needn't concern me, but it does, as I say, because I have been there. Sadly, so many that haven't known such worry just take the news of a drop in the unemployment figures in their stride, writing off those who continue to be out of work as losers and scroungers. The reality though is that it's the government and their scheming ways to make things look rosier than they are on the job front that we should look down and deride.
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