Becca Parker
Cindy Rogers
English 12
March 6, 2014
Unemployment
“The official unemployment rate is based on the number of people without jobs who have been actively seeking work in the previous four weeks” (Urban Institute). The definition of unemployment is not without work. In order to be considered unemployed one must be looking for work and not finding it. With this being said why do people need jobs? To answer that question people need jobs to improve their quality of life. Without jobs people have no source of income; therefore their quality of life is much lower. When a person is without income they are in a constant state of lack. In case there is any confusion lack is bad. When a person is financially lacking it not only affects them but their families and their economy. The sad thing is the families of these people are victims to their loved ones lack. As far as the economy goes many people are under the misconception that if they don’t have a job it’s only harming them but the truth is it affects our entire economy. When people don’t have jobs they don’t have money; therefore they are not helping to fund the economy. Without people putting money back into the economy the economy crashes. As one can see unemployment is a very serious matter; it is something that has affected America in the past, is still affecting America now and may always affect it. After reading this paper one will know about the history of unemployment, the current unemployment situation, and what unemployment looks like in the future. When people think about the history of unemployment they automatically think The Great Depression. The Great Depression was an economic crisis that occurred worldwide. Most would say that the start of the depression was in 1929 when the stock market crashed. “The Great Depression that began at the end of the 1920s was a worldwide phenomenon. By 1928, Germany, Brazil, and the economies of Southeast Asia were depressed. By early 1929, the economies of Poland, Argentina, and Canada were contracting, and the U.S. economy followed in the middle of 1929” (Smiley). The Great Depression was one of the most devastating time periods in all of history. Not only was the United States affected by this great tragedy but the entire world. The Great Depression was and still is known as the biggest financial downfall of the 20th century. The Great Depression is called just that because of how long it lasted and because of how severe it truly was. “By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its nadir, some 13 to 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half of the country’s banks had failed” (history.com). To think that The Great Depression was at its absolutely worse in 1933 and then didn’t end until 1941 is mind blowing. The Great Depression is a perfect example of people searching for jobs for years and never finding them. Millions were homeless and without food due to their lack of income. Thankfully after over 10 years of depression things started to take a turn for the better when the United States entered World War II. As shocking as it sounds to hear that life got better for people when the war began it is completely accurate. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the United States officially entered World War II there was no longer anymore unemployment. The reason being is all able men were drafted and the rest of the people were needed in factories because production went through the roof. All of a sudden the demand for weapons and other war supplies greatly increased and because of that anyone who wanted a job had one. Before World War II unemployment was at a record high of 25% and as soon as the war began unemployment was practically non-existent. People were happier, healthier, and all around better than they had been in a long time. For the first time in over ten years things were looking up for the American people and it was all thanks to the war. The Great Depression was a trying time