UK Unemployment: Creating Your Own Silver Lining

We are in the middle of a global recession: If you didn’t know this, chances are you have just returned from a two year sabbatical or haven’t been affected by it at all.

Although there is reason to complain about rising prices and the fact that a raise at work is totally out of the question, there are some for whom this blow feels harder.

It is those who find themselves currently unemployed for whom this nightmare really hits home.

Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics show that around 2.38m people in the UK are currently unemployed.

The Telegraph reports on these statistics with several statements from economists including John Philpott, chief economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

"Any optimism that unemployment will peak below 3m next year before the jobs outlook starts to improve would appear to have evaporated," he said.
The newspaper also reports on a more positive statement from Allan Monks from JP Morgan who said: "Although employment will likely continue to fall for several months to come, the analysis we are working on at the moment suggests that these signs of flexibility in the labour market will help to limit the pace of overall job losses, and shorten the period of labour market adjustment relative to prior recessions.”

During all the unemployment chaos the Government has recently implemented different methods to lighten the issue.

"Starting from January, everyone under 25 who has been unemployed for a year or more will receive a guaranteed job, work experience or training place,” said Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

"This is the first time any Government has guaranteed jobs and training will be available to young people and has made it mandatory for them to take up this work and have benefits cut if they do not," he added.

The Government plan’s to build 110,000 energy efficient homes which will create more than 45,000 jobs and they are also making grants available to companies who are investing in training and skills.

In spite of the recent developments, there are people who have struggled with being jobless for months or even years and who had to cope without help from the Government as of yet.

People like Gillian (32) from London, who was working as a copy editor at a magazine when within in a week her life changed completely
“When the publication closed down we were all made redundant. I felt so useless and I was angry at myself for not being good enough. It’s weird the nonsense that you make yourself believe in times like those but I realised that I had to get over it as soon as possible. Now, that I look back and reflect on the situation, I realise that it has made me a stronger person who now believes in herself,” she admits.

Gillian was lucky and after updating her CV and freelancing for a couple of months she found herself back in a job at a radio station with an even better position and salary.

Fresh out of College, Steward (25) from Croydon didn’t have luck on his side as he struggled nearly two years before he was given a chance.
With only a degree in Marketing and no experience, job opportunities weren’t opening up for him.

“When I look back at the last two years I want to cringe.
“I’ve been to countless interviews and have experienced so many ups and down’s that I have lost count of them too. It’s funny, when you leave College you seem to think that the world owes you something and you’ll just walk into a job. Apart from the embarrassment I felt during this time, I have learned so much and find myself more grounded these days,” he says.

Steward used his time to do extra short courses in order to compliment his degree and skills. This proved to do the trick as he is now happily employed at a transport firm.

For the last two decades, the UK has been a place of milk and honey for foreigners to work at.

South Africans specifically have come and gone during these years but some even stayed on and managed to get citizenship through the companies that employed them.

Like Melanie (32) from Cheshire in Scotland who until recently worked at a Bank who suffered a closure.

“I don’t think it has sunk in yet. I am about to embark on a trip to Turkey which I’ve booked and paid for last year when I thought my job was safe,” she says with a confused tone in her voice.

Despite the confusion about her future, Melanie is confident that this could turn out positively in the end.

“I know of a couple of friends who this has happened to and if this means I have to move back home for the time being, I’ll do it,” she adds.
The stress is instantly multiplied when it is not only your own future that has an abrupt reality check but also that of your entire family.
Daniel (39) from Reading, the father of three-year-old daughter Danielle and two-month-old, Amy is still coping with joblessness.

He chose to leave his company after the recruitment firm he worked for replaced monthly salaries with commission based payment.

“I don’t feel like a father or a husband at the moment because I can’t provide for my family. But I know it doesn’t help to be negative about it. I am constantly applying for jobs because I know the right job won’t come looking for me,” he says.

Daniel has always been good with his hands and in between submitting his CV for possible jobs he is also improving his carpentry skills to keep all his options open.

The effects of unemployment and the recession stretches far wider than the obvious financial difficulties it creates for those affected by it.
The stories of those who are coping or recently dealt with being without a job all carry a similar theme of emotional uneasiness.

For some the burden becomes too heavy emotionally and across the world suicides and crime has increased substantially.

Bloomberg reports that lead researcher of Oxford University, David Stuckler, said that their research had shown that suicides rose with 4.5pc when unemployment rose with 3pc.

“Financial crises cause significant hardships for many people, but they don’t have to cost them their lives,” Stuckler said.

"Redundancy can have a particular impact on men, who are thought to be more vulnerable to falls in status than women - as many as 1 in 7 men develop depression within six months of losing their jobs," said Paul Farmer, chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, a BBC article reports.

It is therefore more important than ever that the Government invest time, money and effort into combating or at least assisting unemployment.
If you find yourself unemployed at the moment, the first thing to remember is to keep busy with tasks and efforts that will improve your skills or sense of being instead of demolishing it.

Improve your résumé, attend local workshops, work on your current skills or learn new ones.

The UK is soaked with Gillian’s, Steward’s, Melanie’s and Daniel’s but the significance of these stories is that none of them gave up hope or plan to give up anytime soon.

There is good news out there but the sooner you realise that you do not need the news or the economy to create your good fortune, the better.

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