I think the situation in the UK is a lot worse than people are admitting. My wife lost her job earlier this year when the airline she worked for stopped trading. She won't appear on any of the lists of unemployed as I am working so she does not count.
How so, if she is signing-on, she is counted?
Loads more people are now employed on temporary contracts, lots of my friends have lost jobs in the auto industry and as they are contract staff so they won't count either.
How so, if they are signing-on, they are counted?
Many people are too proud to register as unemployed, or will have lost a skilled job and taken an unskilled job just to get by, these kind of people won't count.
The other consequences you don't see are people who now have to work unsociable hours at the detriment of their family, I was talking to a guy yesterday who says his factory has to work Xmas day to meet orders, normally they would be able to turn down this kind of work but not now.
There is no doubt its tough out there.
Gareth
Agreed.
