People are seen outside a job center in London, England, Sep. 16, 2009. Unemployment in Britain hit a near 13-year high in July despite signs that the deepest recession since World War II is coming to an end.
AP Photo

"Britain Cannot Go On Paying So Many People Not To Work"

Op-Ed, The Huffington Post

June 1, 2010

Author: Azeem Ibrahim, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2008–2010

Belfer Center Programs or Projects: International Security

Too much of Britain's unemployment is accounted for by people who are too lazy to work. That may sound harsh, but the government's own figures bear it out. And in these times when Britain has a new government and a devastating necessity to cut down on its public spending, it's time to do something about it.

When Britons talk about unemployment at the moment, we have in mind the people who, up and down the country, are busy going from door to door with their CVs, sitting at home searching recruitment websites, checking their watches to make sure they get to the interview on time, and generally trying as hard as they can to find themselves a job again.

But it is important that in our rush to think about them, we don't ignore another category of unemployed people: those who haven't been in work for a long time, perhaps for whom having a steady job which paid enough is a distant memory. Because over the next decade, as the recovery turns back into growth and growth turns back into boom, there will be millions of people left at home, still not working.

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