What is Unemployment

What is Unemployment? Unemployment is the state where a person has no income source for living. Humans need money for survival and to meet their basic needs. So, as the Bible says in Genesis; humans have to work hard and earn their own bread and livelihood.

But today a different scenario has arisen where many people are not able to earn their livelihood; they are jobless i.e. people are unemployed due to various reasons. In recent times due to the global economic recession, many people around the world lost their jobs and found themselves and their lives in a hopeless situation.

The state of unemployment is seriously a situation of crisis for all the people; who are facing this situation especially when the family depends on that particular person for survival.

The effects of unemployment on a person

Mainly when a person is going through unemployment crisis will be depressed. Many at times we read in newspapers many people can- not deal with this situation of hopelessness; and they commit suicide, and also sometimes killing the whole family. Loss of job or unemployment is a situational crisis.

Depression:

Depression –a painful experience – a feeling of hopelessness. The word depression is very familiar to everyone but to understand it in a better way we need to know the symptoms of depression on human lives.

Motivation:

Apathy, a person loses energy and interest. Things seem pointless and future hopeless.

Emotional:

The capacity for positive emotions is reduced, and with moderate to severe depression people lose the capacity to enjoy pleasure. Depressed people may talk of feeling empty. However, negative feelings can increase and there can be experiences of resentment, anxiety, shame, envy and guilt.

Cognitive:

Cognitive contents –the focus of thoughts and ruminations- become negative with negative ideas about self, the world and the future.

Behavioural:

Depressed people often forestall conducting behaviours which have been enjoyable inside the beyond.

They’ll withdraw from social activities; forestall going out or meeting with pals, or in search of assist from others. Some depressed humans, alternatively, become greater demanding and adhere to others –determined for reassurance.

Biological:

Depressed people normally experience problems in dozing which includes waking up too early or sound asleep too gently. They’ll lose their urge for food and interest in intercourse.

A person who is jobless or unemployed would be going through such a situation as mentioned above.

Now, in order to help people who in crisis we need to understand what are the needs of people in a crisis situation. According to Aaron Lazare and his associates on the basis of a conducted survey variety of types of counselees who need crisis intervention work.

As pastoral counsellors, we can follow the ABCD model of crisis counselling-

  • A. Achieving trust and caring relationship through empathetic responses, asking the person to tell you about the crisis and how that person feels,-making the person know of the willingness to work together on that issue, affirming the person whenever possible and see the person as having the ability to cope.
  • B. Boil down the trouble to its principal components. Help the character to apprehend the crisis and inspire the man or woman to consider feasible solutions, helping them to examine each approach whether or not it’s miles viable or what’s going to likely occur. If additionally talk the people assets-personal, family, pals and so on. Affirming the character’s electricity through appreciating even the smallest effort this is made in coping.
  • C. Challenge the person to take a constructive action plan. Encourage to plan how to approach the problem, identify the realistic and achievable goals with a commitment to implant the plan, and assure your help whenever needed. Using religious resources whenever necessary.
  • D. Develop an ongoing growth action plan. After the crisis diminishes, encourage the person to reflect on and learn from the experience and to reflect a crisis in the context of his/her faith and thus grows spiritually.
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Here in this process, the counsellor gives a helping hand to the person to remain positive, not to give up hope and to work on to solve the crisis through all possible ways like earning a livelihood by other means as possible just to cope with the financial burden.

On the basis of some biblical principles, we can try to help the person in crisis by-

1. Building a relationship with the helpee(John 16:7-13)

2. Exploring the problem, trying to clarify issues and determine what has been done in the past to tackle the problem.

3. Deciding on a course of action. There may be several possible alternatives that could be tried one at a time(John 14:26; 1 Cor 2:23)

4. Stimulating action that helper and helpee evaluate together.  Something does not work, try again(John 16:13; Acts 19:20)

5. Terminating the counselling relationship and encouraging the helpee to apply what he/she has learned as he launches out his/her own.

Jesus was always there to help people. When disciples discouraged Jesus came to encourage them all the time. When Peter was about to go back to his own work after Jesus’ death; Jesus himself went to help and encourage him to carry out the work which was bestowed upon him.

How to help unemployment?

How to help unemployment

As a pastor, we can help a person who is unemployed by following the following steps; which would help the counselee to sustain in the crisis and finally help to overcome the crisis –

1.         The pastor should provide supportive, empathetic relationship.

2.         Help restore functioning by reducing the pressure of pent up.

3.         Help persons deal directly and responsibly, not to run away from the problem.

4.         Help persons mobilize and use their latent resources for coping.

5.         Assist persons to achieve a more constructive perspective on their situation.

6.         Help persons clarify the issue and explore alternative approaches to their problem.

7.         After alternatives have been explored, help them to choose the most promising plan of action and then take steps toward implementing that plan.

8.         Provide guidance in the form of useful ideas, information, and tentative suggestions. These can become useful tools the person employs between sessions and after counselling terminates.

9.         Stimulate the person’s self-reliance and functional competence.

10.       Establish a warm, accepting relationship that will make it easy for the person to return for additional counselling later.

 Conclusion (What is Unemployment)

The state of unemployment is really a serious crisis that can be overcome by the person through a positive attitude towards life. If we teach people about the dignity of labor and make people do all kinds of jobs without feeling ashamed or embarrassed, I feel it will also help to reduce the problem of unemployment. 

So, whenever someone is in that situation if we try to help that person and being in their time of crisis, it can impart positive energy in them and help the person not just to overcome but also to have a positive outlook towards life and also towards crisis.