When it comes to economic analyzes that try to understand the productive capacity of a given society, the factor unemployment is one of the most relevant. Roughly speaking, high unemployment rates can signal a slowdown in the economy, as well as indicate a worsening of social issues linked to the fall in the standard and quality of life of individuals, that is, the social well-being of people. Thus, one of the indexes that help analysts assess the economy is the PEA - Population Economically Active, which displays the number of employed, unemployed adults who are looking for the first job. Yet, the causes of unemployment can vary. Second Steps and Nogami in the bookPrinciples of economics(2005), there are at least 4 (four) types of unemployment, obviously caused by different reasons.
One way would be the call Frictional unemployment(or natural unemployment), which consists of individuals who are temporarily unemployed or because they are changing jobs, or because they were laid off, or because they are still looking for a job for the first time turn. It receives this nomenclature because the labor market, according to the authors, operates with friction, not combining workers and available jobs, and their duration will depend on the benefits given to the unemployed, such as insurance unemployment.
already the Structural unemployment is a consequence of structural changes in the economy, such as changes in production technologies or consumer demand patterns (since changing tastes can make certain obsolete professions). With regard to technological changes, it is enough to think of a vehicle manufacturer as an example that, by promoting the automation of its production, dispenses countless workers now unnecessary due to the capacity of robots. Regarding the change in the pattern of consumer demand, this would be explained when thinking about the former profession of repair technicians typewriters - absolutely obsolete equipment - which would lose its function in the computer age without recycling professional.
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A third type would be called seasonal unemployment. As Passos and Nogami (2005) point out, this type of unemployment occurs due to the seasonality of certain types of economic activities, such as agriculture and tourism, which end up causing variations in the demand for work in different times of the year. Sugarcane cutter rural workers would be a good example, who migrate from a certain region (such as the northeast of Brazil) to another (such as the southeast region) in the harvest period, returning in the off season.
The fourth and last type would be the Cyclic Unemployment(involuntary or circumstantial). One of the most feared, and that has devastated Europe and the United States in these recent economic crises, occurs when there is an economic recession, which means a retraction in production. Companies are forced to lay off their employees to cut expenses.
Therefore, being unemployed means finding yourself in a situation in which you have no official link with any institution. employer, not having any other sources of income, but the factor that conditioned this situation, as seen above, may vary. So, just by way of observation, it is important to remember that even urban workers who can survive as street vendors they are not officially considered employees, but rather as part of the work and the informal economy, as they do not have a work card. signed. Soon, they would officially be unemployed.
Paulo Silvino Ribeiro
Brazil School Collaborator
Bachelor in Social Sciences from UNICAMP - State University of Campinas
Master in Sociology from UNESP - São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"
Doctoral Student in Sociology at UNICAMP - State University of Campinas
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
RIBEIRO, Paulo Silvino. "Different types of unemployment"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/sociologia/diferentes-tipos-desemprego.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
