As unemployment rates dropped, crime rates responded as predicted by economic theory. One recent study revealed that the decline in unemployment resulted in a 30% decrease in crime rates from 1992 to 1997. In addition, a review of unemployment, wages, and crime rates by region shows unemployment and crimes rates falling together.
According to Bernstein and Houston (2000): "As long as crime persists, strong crime prevention measures will be necessary. That is why labor markets, especially low-wage labor markets, can make a difference. To lift the economic prospects of all low-wage workers is not only a worthy economic and social goal; it is one that will pay off in the long run by offering potential criminals a legitimate alternative to crime."
As a result of the U.S. chronic unemployment issue, many people are settling for low-wage jobs (Sarkat, 2005). Despite the criticism that Wal-Mart receives for its low wages and minimal health benefits, the retail company had more than 11,000 applicants in California when it recently opened a new Oakland store. Stephen Levy, an economist for the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy, said the pent-up demand for work reflects the region's slow recovery from the dot-com crash. "There's still a lot of people who were put out of work in the last four years who still don't have a job," Levy said (Sakrat, 2005).
In 2002, 1.7 million Americans slipped below the poverty line, bringing the total to 34.6 million. Over 13 million of these Americans are children. In fact, the United States has the worst child poverty rate and the worst life expectancy of all the world's developed countries. Approximately 31 million Americans were deemed to be "food insecure," meaning they did not know where their next meal was coming from.
Anxiety, depression, dissatisfaction with life, stress, negative self-esteem, hopelessness regarding the future and other negative emotional states have each been demonstrated in research studies to be higher in unemployed people than in matched groups of employed people (Mather, 1998).
The slow albeit steady recovery of employment raises concerns about job losses due to rising imports and "outsourcing," which are demonstrated...
Unemployment Issues in the U.S. There many factors and issues that relate to the unemployment situation in the United States. This paper delves into the unemployment data over the past ten years, and examines the economic conditions that create large numbers of unemployed persons. The paper also looks at the various approaches to unemployment -- the Keynesian viewpoint and the classical viewpoint vis-a-vis unemployment -- and provides scholarly narratives on the
Unemployment Insurance Purpose of unemployment insurance Unemployment insurance is schemes under which people that have the capacity to be employed and are out of employment because of reasons that they can control or simply not their fault. It is meant for people that are available for work and they continue to seek paying jobs actively. In order for one to get the unemployment compensation they should meet unemployment eligibility requirements for what they
Unemployment in the Recent Recession: A Comparison of Cyclical and Marxian Theories The recent (or ongoing) recession has affected the entire globe, though some countries have been harder hit than others. In the United States, unemployment hit higher levels than it has seen in quite some time -- more than doubling at the depth of the recession in 2010 from its pre-recession low (in the current decade) in 2006 and 2007
Unemployment UK According to the Office of National Statistics, the unemployment rate in the UK currently sits at 8%, the highest figure since 1994. The unemployment rate has been in a range between 7.5% and 8.0% since early 2010. The current trends show that youth unemployment is at its highest level since 1992 and that there is no end in sight for the unemployment problem in the UK (Office for National
With the clear decline of crime-related activities in New York City, it can be easily inferred that unemployment rate started to decline also. This is based in the regression analysis from a different study that shows that as the trend in property crime rates goes down (from 1979 to 1997), the unemployment rate goes down with it. Trends in Adjusted Property Crimes Standardized Wages and Unemployment Rate Source: Gould, Weinberg, and Mustard, 2002 Analysis With
Unemployment is a troubling problem that affects every area of the economic sector. In times of economic turmoil, unemployment rates typically increase for workers from all industries, influenced by a number of economic indicators, including consumer confidence, inflation, government spending, and economic growth. As economic conditions decline, businesses of all types are affected, and as a result, they must cut costs, often in the form of job cuts. Unemployment results in
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