Understanding Unemployment

In the late 1980’s a consensus appeared to have emerged that a level of unemployment around 1.6 million was satisfactory. The subsequent rise in unemployment showed that this satisfaction was misplaced. The British economy remains an ‘economy of unemployment’, vulnerable to cyclical recession and large scale job loss. Why this should be so and what was wrong with policy towards unemployment and the labour market are the tiwn foci of this book. Its emphasis is on the analysis of the structure of unemployment and through that identification of responsible policies which could address unemployment. The book includes contributions from economics, sociology, social policy, law, psychology and geography. It addresses such crucial issues as the nature of labour supply and demand, employer recruitment practices, the effect of unemoployment on individuals and families and the potential impact of European Integration. Taken together, they offer new and positive perspectives on unemployment and on the nature of effective, active labour market policies.