The ‘Dole or Drudgery’ Dilemma: Education, the Work Ethic and Unemployment

Abstract

Before the recession, Labour ministers claimed that much unemployment in the UK was voluntary. While social policy authors have repeatedly countered such claims by stressing that unemployed people generally possess a strong work ethic and employment commitment, their accounts typically neglect the role that choosiness in job search behaviour plays in deciding individuals' employment status. Fifty in‐depth interviews with both unemployed and employed respondents exposed considerable diversity in attitudes towards ‘dole’ (being unemployed and claiming unemployment benefits) and ‘drudgery’ (doing less attractive jobs). The more educated were more likely to prefer ‘dole’ to ‘drudgery’ (this was also found using National Child Development Study survey data), yet they usually found jobs despite their greater choosiness. Those with very low educational attainment often desperately wanted jobs but could not find them due to their low employability – which might offer an explanation for the often replicated (yet paradoxical) finding that unemployed people generally exhibit a strong work ethic and pro‐employment attitudes and behaviours. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the scope for many Jobseeker's Allowance claimants to increase their net income by undertaking an unattractive job is greater than social policy authors often imply. The question of ‘who must do the least attractive jobs?’ has been neglected by both social policy academics and policy‐makers.

An Empirical Alternative to Sidani and Thornberry’s (2009) ‘Current Arab Work Ethic’: Examining the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile in an Arab Context

“…While research highlights the need for improvements in educational systems and institutions of the Arab world, it offers no evidence for a link between poor education and poor work ethic as suggested by Sidani and Thornberry (2009). Rather, evidence from the wider literature supports the directly opposite view, that individuals with poor educational backgrounds can have higher work ethics (Darnell and Sherkat 1997;Dunn 2010;ter Bogt et al 2005). Lastly, Sidani and Thornberry (2009) propose management styles in the Arab context as contributing to what they view as a dysfunctional Arab work ethic.…”

Activation Workers’ Perceptions of Their Long-term Unemployed Clients’ Attitudes towards Employment

“…Crucially, this should not lead us to conclude that choosiness has no influence at all in deciding individuals' employment status. Indeed, choosiness occasionally surfaces in British qualitative work as a possible explanation of why some people remain on JSA (Dunn, 2010), including some research involving activation workers (Millar, 2000).…”

Supporting Disadvantaged Young People into Work: Insights from the Capability Approach

“…Would they be left unfilled or would they be taken by more disadvantaged people, perhaps reinforcing the exclusion of some young people? Indeed Dunn (: 17) argues that, ‘academics and policy‐makers have not addressed the question of “who should have to do the least attractive jobs?”’, and would greater real choice prolong spells of unemployment and deepen disadvantage (Dunn )? Further, how do we define the balance between the rights and obligations of people to fully participate in, and contribute positively to, society in terms of employment?…”