INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY-SOC 100

Unemployment and the Sociological Perspective on COVID-19 Pandemic

The unemployment levels in the United States reached an alarming rate in 2020, due to the regulations put in place by the federal government to curb COVID-19 pandemic. The population resolved to the sociological approach that it was impossible to find job opportunities. Similarly, the government focused on the global perspective that the occurrences outside the nation affect the events within the borders. It had to extend the social security agenda to reach a large part of the population to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The idea of curfew made people to believe that unemployment was affected by the law of the nation and nature. The emerging problem is that society has not adjusted to follow the employment levels before 2020. I believe that citizens in 2023 find it normal to be unemployed and survive through government funds, which is evidence of the sociological perspective on everyday life in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic.

The sociological perspective applies to the COVID-19 in the U.S. as it was a mean for people to cope with the crisis and help us see general pattern of changes brought by the pandemic in society. Macionis (p. 7, 2016) argued that “periods of rapid change or crisis make everyone feel a little off balance, encouraging us to use the sociological perspective.” The outlook claims that human society resolves to the belief that jobs are absent and difficult to find in times of crisis, which serves as a coping mechanism. Correspondingly, citizens in the U.S. accepted the drop in employment levels in 2020 due to the closure of many industries globally, which also shows a global perspective on the common problem. Thus, unemployment in the U.S. became a norm and a necessity for survival.

The business owners in the U.S. survived on federal funds to keep their operations afloat before June 2020, which marked the end of the support due to the threat of the pandemic. Correspondingly, businesses had to reduce the number of workers to concur with the fall in sales. Chaney (2020) stated that “at the beginning of the pandemic, customer traffic declined and hiring froze at Teriyaki Madness, a Denver-based franchised restaurant.” The author helped us understand that business change created the necessity for the U.S. population to apply the global perspective that shows the interconnection between nations across the world. It had to appreciate the threat of COVID-19 in Asian and Europe and present domestic support for citizens and businesses. Consequently, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the acceptance of unemployment as a necessity for human survival at the time. Society learned unemployment is not just an individual problem; but a societal issue caused by the economy in the sense that “jobs disappear as occupations become obsolete and companies change the way they operate” (Macionis p. 344, 2016) due to the impact of the pandemic.

The sociological perspective has also affected the US labor sector after the COVID-19 era’s end and it also helped us understand how society issues can shape individual lives. Leonhardt (2021) stated that “workers are holding out until their savings disappear. Businesses are holding out until their customers disappear.” He argued that the belief of people in unemployment through the sociological perspective relieves the pressure to find work as means of survival. The economic bonuses by the government during the COVID-19 period have improved the resilience of households without employment. As a result, the idea of success as being a matter of employment and busy working hours is not part of the current society not only for the workers but also for the employers.

Conclusively, the sociological perspective was useful to me and my family during COVID-19 period because the lack of universal employment made unemployment bearable. Most of the U.S. citizens prioritized survival over their economic needs, which was seconded by the government initiatives. The Trump administration followed the global perspectives of the measures that the nations in the world put in place to counter the disease. The provision of funds to support businesses and make direct transfers to households changed the perceptions surrounding employment and the connotations of success. Correspondingly, companies in 2023 do not wish to advertise for vacant positions, whereas the workers do not wish to work or inquire about job positions. The sociological perspective has changed the importance that people had about employment after COVID-19 pandemic and it also helped us see general pattern of changes brought by the pandemic in society.

References

Chaney, S. (2020). U. S. Unemployment rate fell to 11. 1% in June. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/june-jobs-report-coronavirus-2020-11593651420

Leonhardt, D. (2021, October 20). Where are the workers? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/briefing/labor-shortage-us-low-wage-economy.html

Macionis, John J. Society: The Basics. 15th Edition. 2016. Pearson, REVEL Edition.