Unemployed or Unemployable?

I can't help noticing that Inspector Gadget and Bystander of Magistrates Blog fame are somewhat unusually of one voice recently in highlighting the issue of structural unemployment on certain estates at a time when there appear to be lots of unskilled jobs available locally. The thesis is that the predominantly white indigenous population are lazy, workshy and quite happy to lounge around on benefit and typically allow the hard-working Eastern European population to take the jobs. Now I wouldn't particularly disagree with this analysis, but would suggest it is essentially because sadly many of these people are unemployable. 

This situation has arisen for a variety of reasons but will be all too recognisable to probation officers. We know that due to the restructuring of many heavy industries, there are simply no longer the large amount of unskilled jobs available. Many people in the category we are talking about are possibly second or third generation who have not known employment. Previous governments positively encouraged a 'disability culture' and as a consequence significant numbers have been used to classifying themselves as medically unfit to work. Many will have failed state education and have literacy and numeracy problems. Virtually all will have little or no motivation due to extremely low self esteem and absolutely no work record. Just ask yourself this question - would you employ someone like this? 

Of course this is not a new phenomenon and successive governments have tried to alleviate the problem by giving assistance towards the transition from long-term unemployment to work. Remember the old Youth Training Schemes and Job Creation Programmes? The last Labour government spent a small fortune on New Deal by paying third sector providers to prepare such people for the world of work and they had a degree of success, but it is not easy. The coalition government intends to do the same thing with the new Work Programme, but eligibility has increased to 9 months for the 18-24 year old age group and for those 24 and above, 12 months. I'm sure that all probation services are like mine in having direct links to agencies specifically tasked with assisting people into employment.

All this would not be necessary of course if our education system was doing it's job right and preparing young people for the world of work. I have said it before and I say it again. In my experience the vast majority of people that I come into contact with do not decide that a life of idleness is preferable - they want a job. Remember employment is the means by which most human beings define themselves and it's absence can be extremely damaging in terms of emotional well-being. There is a consequential high risk of destructive behaviours such as drug and alcohol addiction, self harm, violence and mental illness. 

Despite the image sometimes portrayed, a life on benefit is very, very depressing. Many feel they are utterly trapped and gave up all hope of looking for work ages ago. Unless and until we can sort out our education system, this group are always going to need a great deal of support and attention in order to get them productive. Yes it will require a degree of stick and carrot, but lets not just call them lazy and feckless without looking a bit further into the background.