Worklessness is a term that is becoming more widely used when referring to the problem of long term unemployment and dependency on Government benefits. Quite often the term is used to differentiate between ‘unemployment’; which could be used to describe a person that “may not have a job this week” and whose jobless position would be considered temporary.
Worklessness has a very different meaning; it refers to a phenomenon of total dependency on Government benefits and a self-belief of being unemployable. Further, it quite frequently refers to people that have been disadvantaged or subject to generation(s) of family unemployment, and so adopt the attitude of low expectation such as ‘I never expect to have a job so why bother trying’.
Worklessness often refers to the economically inactive members of a community that have spiralled down to low levels of self-confidence and ultimately alienation from society; often believing that they are excluded from society at large.
Worklessness is believed by many to be one of the most important factors, which must be addressed as we approach the end of the first decade of the millennia. In addition to being one of the biggest drains on a Government purse it is perceived as a viral condition that promotes negativity and despondency, eroding the very fabric of a local community.