Reducing unemployment has become a significant problem and is now a top priority for many politicians to address. In fact, some people argue that the government should provide mobile phones and Internet access to every unemployed person. While this may appear beneficial on the surface, I disagree that this is the best use of public funds for helping the unemployed.
To a small degree, I agree that mobile phones and internet access can be very helpful for people actively seeking employment. They are able to easily search for job opportunities, apply and arrange for interviews. However, this alone won’t guarantee a job. The person needs to have the education, skills and experience to land a job, which can’t be helped with simply internet access and a phone.
The main cause of unemployment is often a lack of education and skills that meet the demands of the job market. Employers hire people based on their knowledge, skills and experience. To really tackle the problem of unemployment, public money should be used to assist the unemployed in furthering their education, upgrading their skills, or retraining in a new field. By investing in educational and training programs for the unemployed, more people will have a better chance of finding long-term meaningful employment, which will ultimately reduce unemployment overall.
In short, I feel that while mobile phones and internet access is very useful for active job searching, public funds are better spent on education and training to really tackle the problem of unemployment.