Employment levels in the country affect the economic status of the citizens. The political class has the responsibility of creating an environment favorable for the companies and the government itself to create jobs. Employed citizens get a regular income at the end of the month, which allows them live a decent life socially. On the other hand, the unemployed adult population often lives a miserable life. The economic status of an individual also influences his or her social life.
The official rate of unemployment in America by March 2014 was at the lowest level in a period of five-years. The last three and a half years has presented a trend where more jobs are being created than lost. However, there are millions of Americans without jobs. Loss of jobs has been contributed to the economic recession that began towards the end of 2007. Growth of working-age population has also witnessed. For the country to get back to the employment situation of 2001 when about 67.3% of the American adult population was working, appropriate measures must be taken by the government (FedDev Ontario). The New York Times reports that presently, the workforce only accommodates about 63% of the American adult population. This percentage is the smallest in the past few decades (Krugman).
During the economic recession, the economy could not support creation of jobs, which led to millions of Americans losing their jobs. Authorities often reduced the number of workers in order to get a better production from a smaller workforce. They pushed the workers into getting their way out of the jobs. However, recent economic recovery and diversification has opened up more opportunities that got Americans back to work and improved their social life.
The economic recovery that began under the Obama administration has created millions of jobs. However, this has not recovered all jobs that were lost during the recession. The New York Times reports that three out of four people employed in the first half of 2013 were hired into part-time positions (Krugman).
Moreover, most of the full-time jobs that were created were low-paid. There is also inequality in incomes among the working American population. A few people earn a good amount of money while the majority of the workers earn inadequate salary. The middle-income jobs that pay approximately between $16 and $25 per hour forms a small percent of the work force with millions of Americans struggling to get into this class (FedDev Ontario). Presently, millions of working families live on an income that is below the government’s poverty line. Most of the youths within the working class are unable to get a job altogether, not even being able to get even a minimum-wage job.
The country’s political class in the government has a responsibility of affecting the social life of the citizens positively. In January 2014, President Obama persuaded some of the nation’s largest companies, including Apple, Walmart, Ford and General Motors to revise their employment practices to avoid discrimination against the applicants who have been out of work for a long time. This was one of the measures by the government to improving the social status of the people. Furthermore, opening of new markets by the government for products made in the country creates more supplies that then call for more workers. When adult population is engaged in a good and reliable employment, they become occupied throughout and socially satisfied hence the social evils such as robbery are reduced. For the success of the people, the country requires a political class that is focused to improving the social lives of its citizens.
Works Cited
Krugman, Paul. “Writing Off the Unemployed.” 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/10/opinion/krugman-writing-off-the-unemployed.html
FedDev Ontario. “Evaluation of the Eastern Ontario Development Program.” 2013. Web. 5th June 2014, http://www.feddevontario.gc.ca/eic/site/723.nsf/eng/00557.html
