Are the Unemployed an Underclass? Some Evidence from the Social Change and Economic Life Initiative

Abstract

This paper examines the relevance of the concept of an `underclass' for understanding the situation and experiences of the unemployed, focusing in particular on the long-term unemployed. It draws on survey data from six British local labour markets, collected as part of the Social Change and Economic Life Initiative. It distinguishes two versions of the underclass thesis, a `conservative' and a `radical' version. It argues that past work history experiences and the current attitudes to work of the unemployed fail to fit the assumptions of the conservative thesis, while the socio-political attitudes of the unemployed differ from those that would be expected in terms of the radical thesis. It concludes that the concept of underclass veils the close interconnection between unemployment and the employment structure.