Argumentative Essay on Unemployment
Thesis: “People are Unemployed because they want to be”, should not be used as a rationale for the overall level of unemployment currently being experienced.
Presented by: Kevin Henry
Northern Caribbean University
College of Business and Hospitality Management
Department of Professional and Continuing Education
Presented in partial fulfillment of the course
ENGL120: Freshman Composition 2
Presented to:
Ozette Waugh-Fagan (Mrs.)
Date: November 18, 2010
In a country characterized by job losses due to the recession, companies downsizing, and the ever changing climatic conditions we experience, how can we generalize and say that people choose not to be employed? The statement, “People are unemployed because they want to be”, while it has some merits it should not be used as a rationale for the overall unemployment level currently being experienced. Unemployment as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively looked for jobs or are looking for one. There is nothing however, in this definition to suggest whether a person is unemployed voluntarily or involuntarily.
There may be some persons who choose not to work; there may be some individuals who simply cannot work for reasons that otherwise prevent them from doing so. However, the majority of persons who are unemployed are at that stage involuntarily and for varying reasons, based on the current economic situation, and not by their choice. Why then, would one decide not to be employed? In a scenario where voluntary unemployment takes place, many persons feel that their current wage is not high enough to justify them working. They may feel that what they have contributed to the company is not seen as value added. They may also have a poor relationship with management. Therefore, they will leave their current job in search of another, with better compensation and benefits, opportunities and challenges; often times not able to be
Presented by: Kevin Henry
Northern Caribbean University
College of Business and Hospitality Management
Department of Professional and Continuing Education
Presented in partial fulfillment of the course
ENGL120: Freshman Composition 2
Presented to:
Ozette Waugh-Fagan (Mrs.)
Date: November 18, 2010
In a country characterized by job losses due to the recession, companies downsizing, and the ever changing climatic conditions we experience, how can we generalize and say that people choose not to be employed? The statement, “People are unemployed because they want to be”, while it has some merits it should not be used as a rationale for the overall unemployment level currently being experienced. Unemployment as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively looked for jobs or are looking for one. There is nothing however, in this definition to suggest whether a person is unemployed voluntarily or involuntarily.
There may be some persons who choose not to work; there may be some individuals who simply cannot work for reasons that otherwise prevent them from doing so. However, the majority of persons who are unemployed are at that stage involuntarily and for varying reasons, based on the current economic situation, and not by their choice. Why then, would one decide not to be employed? In a scenario where voluntary unemployment takes place, many persons feel that their current wage is not high enough to justify them working. They may feel that what they have contributed to the company is not seen as value added. They may also have a poor relationship with management. Therefore, they will leave their current job in search of another, with better compensation and benefits, opportunities and challenges; often times not able to be