Employment and Unemployment: Macro Social Work Perspectives

Social workers are concerned with the well-being of all members of a given society. In order to be well, people need access to certain goods and services. In a society with a capitalist economy, most people gain access to necessary goods and services either by working themselves or being connected to someone else who works. This means that not being able to find a job can be a serious threat to people’s social welfare. For this reason, unemployment should be of interest to social workers. Therefore, what follows is a discussion of employment, unemployment, and their relevance to the concerns of social workers.