> Does that mean that governments have no real control over unemployment levels?
> The American rate is back to 5.9%, here in Australian it is now down to 7.9%
> from higher levels of 10-11%, does it just ebb and flow? If that is the case
> is the unemployment of the Great Depression a different _type_ of
> unemployment? I am not an economist or historian but I assume that those
> unemployment levels were resolved when the economic situation improved. A
> lot of industrialised countries seem to have high levels of unemployment
> whether the economy is good or bad
>
The crisis of the Great Depression was resolved through the
armament for the war that followed.
The present american unemp. rate conceals the character of the
new jobs: part time and short contracts without job security
and worse hours and holidays than before. Not to mention
the percentage that survives only via artificial federal orders and
subsidies for basically wasteful and even harmful industries, but
the profits still ending up in private pockets.
There is a bit of a lift to western economy through the new
markets and cheap, fairly close and educated labour of Eastern Europe,
but I am amazed how weak said economy must be, if it could only
capitalise in such a low level so far.
> If there was great concern in a particular country about doing something
> real about unemployment can the government of the day ((honestly and
> safely)) just shrug there shoulders and say, "Sorry community, there is
> nothing we can do!"
>
It seems that everything has been tried in the present framework.
Eva
> Tony
>
>
>
> >Community and government tried all sorts
> >of macro-economic policies such as paying business
> >to employ the unemployed, financing/nationalisisng
> >business to employ millions etc.
> >based on capitalism, it didn't work out,
> >because it cuts into the profit (taxes) that
> >keeps the system going. Sort of catch 22.
> >
> >Eva
> >
> >
> >> I think low levels of unemployment would help. This would take the strain
> >> off the presently "over-employed" individuals as well as give opportunity to
> >> the "underemployed" as well as to the unemployed.
> >> Two well know ex-political figures in Australia in a recent interview agreed
> >> that high unemployment levels could be adequately handled through
> >> macro-economic policy if there was a community and government will to do
> >> something done about it.
>
>
>
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