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Unemployment is going nowhere, and it is mostly promoting a great tragedy

In 1937, 40,000 Americans committed suicide because of the economic crisis. Israel will not reach such a place, but unemployment is becoming a reality we will live with for a long time, and if the snowball is not stopped, it will have mental and physical consequences.

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Prof. Yitzhak Harpaz

"Without a job I am nothing, zero!"

These words, spoken by the unemployed, creepily express what people who have been deprived of the opportunity to earn a decent living feel. Israel is currently facing an economic crisis like it has never known. Hundreds of thousands of employees and the self-employed were affected by the situation.

In my humble opinion, the situation today cannot be compared to similar cases in modern history, where the whole country and especially the economy has stood still. A hint of concept can be gleaned from the global economic crisis of the 1930s. The social and cultural effects of the economic crisis at that time were acute, and its devastating impact on human suffering stood out in particular. Extreme unemployment and depression represented the worst distress facing humanity at the time. To illustrate, in 1937, at the height of this crisis, some 40,000 people committed suicide in the United States who could not bear the hardships and disgrace. I do not think we will reach a similar situation in Israel, but the effects of the trauma are long overdue.

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I would like to briefly describe what could happen to this fateful population. These are based on data that emerge from a comprehensive study, which I conducted, even before the current crisis, among 545 unemployed in Israel.

The dire consequences of unemployment can be inferred from the results of studies that indicate the central place of work and its significance in human life. When their source of livelihood is taken away from human beings, their world is destroyed and they may suffer severe mental and physical damage. Although the situation they find themselves in is not their fault, people lose their self-esteem and feel deep shame. Phrases such as "I am nothing without work, Zero !, or" How do I look in the eyes of my children, "well expresses serious emotional distress. In fact, 32% of the respondents reported unemployment have caused negative psychological effects and 8% of them reported damage to their health.

Examples The following incidence, which emerged from the study, can be identified harsh statements from various unemployed, which reflect helplessness and crash in family, economic, mental and health aspects of their lives: "I suffer from mental stress ... My relationship with my family members is very tense but outwardly I function normally .. "My partner has a very hard time understanding what I'm going through ... my sex life has been damaged ... I'm in a constant depression and unwillingness to get up in the morning ... I feel like a broken vessel ... I have a skin disease caused by stress and depression."

Some of these feelings come from reflected in the relatively short time since the beginning of the period of unemployment, but the longer the period of unemployment rises, so the stronger force of impact. In my view, it would be difficult to protest the results of the shock experienced by the unemployed, without social support and vocational significantly.

now, when about 20% of the workforce is not employed already For some time now, it can be assumed that some of us are beginning to feel what we are likely to feel more than those unfortunates who will be left out To the work circle.

Prof. Yitzhak Harpaz

I assume that most of those employed in the public sector and the primary labor market will return to their previous jobs. However, getting out of the recession and returning to a full routine takes time and does not occur in the blink of an eye. In addition, it cannot be ignored that many small and independent organizations will not survive the difficulties of the period and disappear from the labor market. It is clear that many employers in the various sectors will even take advantage of the new situation created to carry out "optimization reductions" that they would not have been able to carry out in another period. Therefore, I guess that relatively high unemployment rates will last for a long time and become a painful fact of life for many Israelis. There is no doubt that a heavy burden will fall on the various aid and support institutions such as the employment service, social security, welfare services and various health services. It seems that the cost of caring for the unemployed will reach a scale that we did not know before and that we will all be required to finance.

In conclusion, in light of the accumulated experience of the negative effects of unemployment and unemployment, I believe that ultimately the physical and mental health hazards that will be inflicted on victims and their families, and the burden on the public support system of unemployment results will be unbearable. Decision-makers would do well to see before their eyes the tragedy that will be caused to individuals and society, when they come to determine courses of action that will decide the fate of many citizens whose only desire is to earn a decent living.

The author is the president of the Jezreel Valley Academy, an expert in management and the labor market.