These factors are often not experienced in isolation. A woman who is young, Black, has a disability, and has grown up in a low-income postcode area is likely to face multiple barriers. Her gender, age, ethnicity, disability, education, and opportunities available to her will play into potential barriers she faces. These intersectionalities do not mean someone is inevitably going to face unemployment, but it can significantly feed into the barriers someone is up against.
Name-blind applications can be a positive attempt to remove some of the conscious and unconscious bias from the application process. But name-blind applications don’t entirely solve the current inevitability that some people have been exposed to more opportunities, cushioned from risk, provided the financial means for further education, and been offered a hand-up by useful contacts.
So if I were forced to answer the age-old question: ‘why don’t people just get a job?’, I would probably be forced to simplify this complexity of systemic inequality and intersectionality by answering: Many are trying. It is hard. People face barriers for no fault of their own.
But it is not only the challenge of getting into work that differs, people also face different experiences when they are in work.
More than half of the people in higher paid employment expressed that they had the right level of flexibility in their role. However, this was not a common experience for those who are in lower paid work, with only 21% of UK adults with a household income of £7,001-£14,000 saying their employer gives them the right level of flexibility they need to do their job.
It is a depressing picture when laid out, where those with the least financial resources are hit by a multitude of factors playing against them, keeping them trapped. But as ever, there is hope to be had.
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
At a system level, policies and practices are being utilised and developed to help address systemic barriers. The commitment from the UK government to help people into work, if implemented in a supportive rather than penalising way, could be a step in the right direction, as is the implementation of the ‘New Deal for Working People’.
And on a personal level, organisations and charities such as Big Issue Recruit and CAP job clubs are providing vital free help for people on their journey into employment. On a recent visit to a CAP job club, I saw first-hand the role that personalised, face-to-face support is playing in communities across the UK. From people being referred from their local DWP Jobcentre to people independently signing up, job clubs are offering skills and confidence-building to help people into work.
When the current landscape looks grim, it is positive to be reminded that there are schemes trying to remove the barriers. Although we are not there yet, there is power in recognising the complexity of the current situation and the need for a compassionate approach to supporting people in their employment journey.
And potentially next time we are asked the question: ‘why don’t people just get a job?’, we need to ask another question in return: ‘what more can we be doing to help break down the barriers that they are facing?’
Juliette Flach is policy and public affairs manager at Christians Against Poverty.
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more.
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Change a vendor’s life this winter.
Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – and always take the magazine. It’s how vendors earn with dignity and how we fund our work to end poverty.
You can also support online with a vendor support kit or a magazine subscription. Thank you for standing with Big Issue vendors.
