The number of job seekers is exploding in most industrialized countries. It seems that unemployment really is the evil of the century.
And again, the statistics do not hide the reality of the experiences, the dramas that are played out on a daily basis.
A majority of people have built their lives around their work and many thought the sky was falling when they lost their jobs.
In industrialized countries including France, two segments of the population are particularly affected by the rise in unemployment: young people (under 25), and seniors (from 45 or 50).
Moreover, it is this observation which is at the origin of the famous generation contract.
To what can we attribute this evil of the century that is unemployment?
Some point the finger at globalization.
Others the greed of bosses and business leaders who sacrifice employees on the altar of maximizing profits.
Still others do not miss an opportunity to denounce the technological progress that has resulted in the elimination of jobs and the replacement of man by machine.
Still others do not hesitate to point the finger at the foreigner who has come to steal the work of the natives.
Everyone has their opinion on the matter.
And governments seem particularly powerless to curb the phenomenon.
One of the most tragic consequences of rising unemployment, though intangible, is the loss of self-confidence, low morale among the nations most affected.
And often a latent despair sets in, a quiet despair.
And if all this were only the undesirable effects of the great period of economic transition in which we are.
History teaches us that every economic transition has had its share of undesirable effects.
The transition from the era of agriculture to the era of industrialization had many adverse consequences for the work of many farmers.
Similarly, the transition from the era of industrialization to the era of information has brought its share of problems and necessary adjustments.
By the way, what era are we in exactly?