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Joblessness!
By
N S Raju
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| Employment
performs multiple roles in todays world. In all countries,
notwithstandingconsiderable variation in level of development
and capacity to generate wage employment,it is employment,
or in a broader sense, work that provides the principle
means of survival andwell being for most individuals
and household. Given its role in the production of goods
andservices and in the generation of income, employment
is a key if not the primary factorin the achievement
of higher living standers. Unemployment conversely,
should beseen as lost potential of our societies. |
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Employment
also plays a nonmaterial role of considerable importance.
Performing a job or undertaking work helps to establish
a person's identity. Suitable employment or satisfying
work raises self-esteem arid contributes to greater
fulfillment, while long periods of unemployment can
breed frustration and despair. The growing numbers of
both long-term un~mployed workers and young people,
who are unable to find a first job, are a source of
concern. Such conditions can give rise to feelings of
exclusion and cause increasing social unrest.
We regard
employment as fundamental for social peace and commit
ourselves, in particulars, to improving the prospects
of finding work for young people entering the labour
force. While employment generally connotes wage employment,
there is, in addition, an entire range of activities,
performed everyday, usually without wage remuneration
and mostly for women, which are necessary to ensure
survival. Work for own consumption, particularly in
rural areas of developing economies when crop production
and the raising of livestock can help to feed the family
or household. In manydeveloping countries, a majority
of workers are unpaid family and household |
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workers in the informal and rural sectors. Much work, such
as housework and child rearing, often appears to be undervalued
by society.
A broad conception
of employment or work should be developed to draw attention
to wider range of productive opportunities and the gender
implication of many current patterns of work and employment.
In a great number of countries across the global there is
a disturbing trend toward higher levels of unemployment and
jobless growth. With the continuation of present trends and
policies, this is likely to persist. Open unemployment in
many countries that are members of the Organization of Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) is of its highest level
since the great depression. The countries of Eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union have been experiencing a massive
loss of jobs. In Latin America while urban employment has
now fallen slightly, the informal sector accounts for a raising
share of urban employment. In sub-Saharan Africa, urban unemployment
continues to grow, with young people representing between
60 to 70 percent of the region's unemployment. Youth unemployment
is also a serious problem in the Middle East and North Africa.
Within the Asian region, most of the countries of East and
South-East Asia have experienced declining unemployment rates;
but in South Asian Countries, while unemployment rates are
generally low, the proliferation of low productivity and low-income
jobs remains a major problem. Among the poorest regions of
the world where population age structure is most youthful,
the need for employment will also increase rapidly.
Still, open unemployment,
which now stand some 12Gm people worldwide, represent only
tip of the iceberg. Many more person-estimated at 70Gm, are
underemployed. Although generally working long hours, they
do not earn enough to lift themselves and their families out
of poverty. The working poor comprise the largest share of
the estimate 1 lb absolute poor in the world, a stark fact
that highlights the crucial link between productive employment
and poverty reduction. The numbers result in part from the
demographic challenge to employment creation. Just as job
expansion alone may suffice to reduce unemployment, a lower
level of jobless is no guarantee of decrease poverty. This
only serves to focus attention on the qualitative dimensions
of employment promotion, on the creation of new and better
jobs rather than the protection of all existing jobs. The
creation of suitable employment and the deduction of unemployment
should be central objectives of national economic policies,
taking demographic projections into consideration.
There
are too few suitable job opportunities in the formal wage
economics of almost all countries. The global economy is increasingly
driven by demands for grater flexibility and efficiency in
production. These. in turn, have led to a growing recourse
to labour saving and decentralized moves of production. Enterprises
need to strive hard to improve their economic performance
and remain competitive in order to maintain employment and
create new jobs. But such developments have far-reaching implications
for the quantity, quality and distributions of jobs. In particular,
the decline in the proportion of workers holding well-paid
full-time and secure jobs is a source of concern.
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Glaucoma
Vision Loss Mostly Preventable
Getting
regular eye exams is important, especially as one
gets older, to determineabout glaucoma; a disease
that damages the optic nerve and can lead to blindness,
yet it has no symptoms at first. Glaucoma affects
about 3 million people in the United States, and half
of them don't know they have it.
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In many people,
glaucoma is caused by increased pressure within the
eye. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type of
glaucoma, and damage to the eye develops over time.
At first, someone with glaucoma notices no change in
vision, and has no pain or other symptoms. If untreated,
glaucoma will eventually cause side vision to fade,
so that objects appear as though viewed through a tunnel.
As the disease progresses, sight can fade entirely.
Having increased pressure in the eye doesn't automatically
mean one has glaucoma, however it does put one at risk
for developing glaucoma,. Each person's eye pressure
is different. Normal pressure ranges from 12 mm Hg to
21 mm Hg, although that might be high for some people.
Only an eye specialist can make that determination.
Doctor can tell if you have glaucoma by using several
tests. Your eye doctor first tests how well you can
see at different distances and checks your peripheral
vision. He or she then dilates your pupils to look at
the optic nerve for any signs of damage. The standard
test for eye pressure is called tonometry, which measures
pressure using purple light or a puff of air, among
several methods. People 60 or older and with family
history are at risk of developing glaucoma.
Glaucoma can be treated. There is no cure for glaucoma,
but the pressure in the eye can be controlled, helping
to prevent further vision damage. Medication, in the
form of an eye drop or pill, is the most common treatment.
Laser surgery and conventional eye surgery can also
be used to treat glaucoma, to help fluid drain from
the eye. In many cases, even after surgery, medication
to control eye pressure must still be taken. |
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