Why are we talking about unemployment and not job search? Colloquially, it seems evident that it is one thing to be still and another to be moving and that it is not the same to talk about active people looking for a job than about people standing around doing nothing. This nonsense has been around for too long, to the point of obscuring the reality of unemployed people, who have to deal with the stigma of unemployment, when in fact they are actively looking for work. Focusing only on unemployment has serious consequences, since the core of the problem, the existence of employment and having it or not and the search for it, is relegated in the analysis and public discussion.
The usual analyzes of the labor market by some experts and some media, in line with traditional customs that become culture, focus on "unemployment" and tend to give a limited vision of the labor market and a negative consideration of unemployed people, when they are active job seekers. It is obvious that some are "unemployed" in the colloquial sense, "that do not move", but that is not the reality, what is more, the very technical definition of unemployed refers to people in active search for employment.
Putting the accent on employment is fundamental from the point of view of the economy and of people. The existence of enough jobs for the people who need them and allows you to contribute your labor contribution to the wealth of the country and have an income, both are key issues in a good economy.
The paradoxes of a partial and insufficient analysis:
In the Active Population Survey for the third quarter of 2022, we have observed an apparent paradox, that employment rises while unemployment increases. If we focus on employment, we see that it has increased more than in the same quarter of the previous year, all of which is already at historical levels and we would have corroborated the good progress of the labor market by observing that many people have activated themselves in the search employment in these favorable circumstances. However, many media have headlined that unemployment increases, without considering that when there are more job opportunities, people who are no longer looking for it, due to discouragement or other family or personal circumstances, and therefore were considered inactive, go looking for it and therefore they are activated.
Observing the reality of the labor market as a whole, we can see that we are at activity and employment levels close to the objectives set by the European Union for the coming years. In any case, employment growth has to be increased further and in this respect the current policies must continue on the current path and be further improved.
A policy to help the unemployed must observe what employment is created, where and how, in order to provide adequate guidance that increases the probability of finding a job. Beyond the dimension of an indicator, the news headline should say whether or not the possibility of finding a job has increased. And since we are at a time when job stability is increasing, other possible headlines are whether or not that works for everyone. The mood of each person improves when there is a certain possibility of finding a job and their commitment to finding it has a greater chance of success and is quicker, when adequate support is provided by the public employment services.
