Unemployment is a term which is referred to those individuals who are unable to find a job even after completing their studies. Unemployment is not only in Pakistan but it is around the world. The high rate of unemployment causes economic distress and the low rate of unemployment causes an overheated economy. Unemployment occurs just because of new technologies and inventions which reduce the need for a labor force in industries or factories. At the start, the work which was taken by human beings or laborers now in this era is easily taken from machines, and machines also give better and good results. Because of the advancements, the rate of unemployment affects a lot. The unemployment rate goes high when the economy of a country is influenced by a recession. The policies of the government impact the economy and the economic situation directly impact the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate differs with the passage of time.
On February 26, 2020, the Federal Minister of Health of Pakistan confirmed the first two coronavirus cases among people who had just returned from Iran in Karachi and Islamabad. Public gatherings in shrines, wedding venues, and festivals were prohibited. On March 24, a total lockdown was implemented. Additionally closed were offices, malls, markets, restaurants, parks, and public transportation. Further on more restrictions were imposed because of the situation. Despite all of these safety precautions, COVID-19 spread quickly throughout Pakistan. Different categories of people were impacted by the closing of borders both with other countries and within the country. It drastically reduced economic activity and put an end to social gatherings, and educational, religious, and recreational events across the country. Residents who were in quarantine throughout the lockdown period suffered greatly from the shutdown of public transportation, educational institutions, and places of social gathering (parks, restaurants, masjids, gymnasiums, etc.).
In addition to having kids at home and working from home, women had to take on more household duties. The middle class stressed about paying electric bills and school fees, the lower class struggled financially day by day, and the upper class missed social gatherings, leisure time, and travel. All economic operations were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which also caused financial markets to plummet around the world. There were several firm closures and massive job losses due to employment losses. This pandemic had a significant negative impact on people’s financial lives.
During the pandemic, women have been more prone to leave the workforce. With little to no worker protections like paid sick leave and unemployment, the majority of working women (58%) are engaged in the informal economy. The pandemic has caused women who work in front-line positions, such as nurses and domestic helpers, to choose between their financial security and their health. During covid-19 people’s lives are more hectic, their jobs are unpredictable, taking care of their children is difficult, and leaving the house seems dangerous. The other is an experience shared by the remainder of the working population, including those who cannot work from home and must put themselves in danger every day, whose jobs have been lost or reduced in size, and who are wondering not just what happened but also how they will survive. Investigating the relationship between job and family when unemployed may seem contradictory.
One could claim that since there is But even when people are unemployed, “work” remains an important aspect of their lives; for instance, looking for a job is a difficult process that is typically carried out from home. Thus, the work-family interface also exists when a person is unemployed, although we know little about it. Because of the financial difficulties they had, additional family members also experienced an increase in unemployment as a result of COVID-19. The population also increases due to unemployment but it also leads to more problems because they don’t have many resources to feed other beings.
A respondent Jibran (pseudo name) has completed his bachelor’s and applied for the army. He spend five years in the army and he retired after five years from the army and now doing a job as a security guard. We ask about unemployment that how unemployment affects life during covid-19. He replied back that: “If I talk about the other people they face many problems like the problem of food and the unemployment has increased in many peoples but if I talk about myself during covid-19 my life was not affected because I am a pensioner. During covid-19, I achieve more than 30 or 40 thousand per month.”
