Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Unemployment in France
Having a job is a basic requirement of life for most people. Jobs give people money. Jobs give people satisfaction, too. It might seem simple to get a job, but sometimes it isn't easy. Unemployment is a problem for people all over the world. It has been an especially big challenge for the young people of Europe.
One pony-tailed young man named Dominique knew how hard it was to be unemployed. He wanted to be a film editor. When he did not have a job, he didn't even have enough money to go to a movie. He often went to a job center to find work, but he couldn't find anything. He was unemployed for two years. He said that the experience of being jobless for so long was grueling. He felt that unemployment was destroying France. About twenty percent of people in France under the age of twenty-five are unemployed. Unemployment rates are even higher in Greece, Spain, Italy, and some other countries in Europe.
Unemployment affects people in many ways. You might not mind if you became "unemployed" and did not have to do your chores. In fact, you would probably like it! However, for adults, unemployment causes real problems. Adults who don't have jobs sometimes feel depressed. They can have low self-esteem. They might visit their doctors more and spend more days in bed from illness. They are worried because they can't support their families or pay their bills. Many European families have struggled with these situations because of the high rate of unemployment, especially for those under the age of twenty-five.
