Essay on Unemployment Sample and Writing Tips

What Are the Cities with the Highest Rate of Unemployment in the World? What Are the Economic Reasons for Such High Rates?

One of the socio-economic problems of the current stage of development of the United States is the problem of unemployment. The unemployment entails the squandering of the main productive force of the society – the labor force – on an enormous scale, a significant reduction in the national income and country’s potential gross product. Apparently, with incomplete use of available labor resources, the economic system works without reaching the limits of its production (Rampell) capabilities. Thus, the unemployment rate is one of the key indicators for determining the general state of the economy, for assessing its effectiveness and because of this, the problem of unemployment in the United States is becoming extremely topical.

Unemployment is a macroeconomic issue that has the most direct and substantial impact on every person living in the country. It is necessary to understand that unemployment represents a part of the population of the country consisting of people who have reached the working age, are unemployed and are in search of work during a given period of (Rampell) time. Mass unemployment during the economic crisis of 2008-2009 was a real catastrophe for the American people. According to the contracts of the Department of Labor, the unemployment in September 2009 was 9.8% and since that time it continues to (Bureau of Labor Statistics) grow. The level of unemployment is much higher in the states, for instance, in Michigan, it exceeds 15%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics in the U.S. Department of Labor regularly publishes data on the scale of unemployment according to the state and industry in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not take into account those who are not able to find a full-time job or are forced to engage in low-skilled work. The high unemployment rate in the state of Michigan is connected with the problematic condition of the automobile industry, in California – with the budget deficit exceeding $ 25 billion, in Utah – with the features of religious attitude of Mormons to (Rampell) work. It is also known that employment centers and labor fairs work better in Washington state and Virginia which has contributed to the lower unemployment rate. The whole list of cities in the United States with the highest rate of unemployment can be represented as follows:

Yuma, Arizona (November 2014 unemployment rate – 23.1%);
El Centro, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 22.7%);
Ocean City, N.J. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 12.3%);
Visalia-Porterville, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 12.2%);
Merced, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 12.1%);
Yuba City, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 12%);
Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 11.7%);
Atlantic City-Hammonton, N.J. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 11.3%);
Fresno, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 11.2%);
Madera, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 10.7%);
Modesto, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 10.6%);
Stockton-Lodi, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 10.5%);
Bakersfield, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 9.6%);
Vineland-Bridgeton, N.J. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 9.2%);
Yakima, Wash. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.8%);
Longview, Wash. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.8%);
Salinas, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.5%);
Dalton, Ga. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.3%);
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.2%);
Redding, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.1%);
Rockford, Ill. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.1%);
Danville, Ill. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.1%);
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.0%);
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (November 2014 unemployment rate – 8.0%) (Bureau of Labor Statistics ).

During the 2009 recession, unemployment covers all sectors of the economy and services in the U.S.: not only industry, construction and transport, but also trade, finance, business, and professional services, and even the tourism and entertainment (Rampell) industry. The largest dismissal of the state occurred in such industries as manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, the least dismissal happened in the agriculture, in the mining and oil and gas (Rampell) industry. At the same time, the highest unemployment rate that was recorded among the U.S. residents who were between the ages of 16 and 19 was 18.3%. In the United States, there is a high level of unemployment at the age of 55-59, which is associated with the differentiation of admission to (Rampell) work. This discrimination over the age drives people into a chronic stagnant form of unemployment and leads to a de-qualification. The number of unemployed men was almost two million more than women. The number of unemployed men was 7.2 million which is 57.8% (Bureau of Labor Statistics). In February 2009, the level of unemployed women in the United States was approximately 5.25 million people who are 42.2% (Bureau of Labor Statistics). In the active labor market, a relatively large number of people for one reason or another fall into the ranks of the unemployed during the year. However, the duration of such periods in the United States is short. The United States of America holds the first place in the world regarding the number of jobs created annually. Starting from 2009-2010, in the United States “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan” was designed in order to help in the short term to combat unemployment, and in the long term to ensure the continued economic (Aaronson & Brave) growth. The plan is a combination of two methods: large-scale budget investments in the economy and reduction of the taxes. The total cost of this project was $ 800-900 billion (Aaronson & Brave). The United States concentrated on the task of improving the structure of working places for people. The programs that have been developed are aimed to optimize the use of workers’ potential. The basis of such programs in the United States is an individual approach to each employee in the company, providing opportunities for in-service training in the workplace on an individual plan and advising on career issues as (Aaronson & Brave) well.

In this paper, the socio-economic nature of unemployment was analyzed, and the characteristics of unemployment in the U.S. labor market were examined. While studying the problem of unemployment in the United States, the reason for the sharp increase in the unemployment rate in 2008-2010 was identified. It related to the decline in production and structural transformation in the economy as a result of the crisis phenomena. It should be noted that the policy to combat unemployment in the United States is quite effective because it is able not only to reduce unemployment to a normal level but also to ensure sustainable economic growth.

Works Cited

Aaronson, Daniel and Scott A. Brave. “Estimating the Trend in Employment Growth.” Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, June 2013, www.chicagofed.org/~/media/publications/chicago-fed-letter/2013/cfljuly2013-312-pdf.pdf. Accessed 30 Aug. 2017.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. “How the Government Measures Unemployment.” Current Population Survey (CPS), Oct. 2012, www.bls.gov/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2017.
Rampell, Catherine. “The Forgotten Long-Term Unemployed.” New York Times, 1 Nov. 2012, www.economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/the-forgotten-long-term-unemployed/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2017.