The Greek tragedy writer Sophocles wrote that without labor nothing prospers. Laziness deprives individuals of the dignity that comes from working and forces society to pay for its upkeep.
So the rapidly increasing number of economically inactive people – people of working age but not employed or looking for work – should concern us all.
More than a fifth of Britain’s potential workforce has dropped out of the job market, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics published yesterday.
This is a staggering 9.25 million people, an increase of 700,000 since the pandemic.
The naked numbers are shocking enough. However, a closer look revealed an even more worrying trend.
In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, those leaving the workforce were primarily those over 50, many of whom decided to take early retirement.
However, those who quit are now getting younger. Over the past year, the number of economically inactive 16- to 24-year-olds has increased by 248,000 to nearly 3 million, with many citing poor mental health as the main reason. .
Does this mean that we are experiencing an epidemic of mental illness, or does this mean that young people are less able than before to cope with the inevitable shocks and disappointments that life throws at us? Is it just lower than the generation?
In any case, something must be done for themselves and to bring them to work. There’s nothing more depressing for them than wandering around at home without work or a sense of purpose.
Hand-wringing leftists will no doubt blame their plight on inadequate mental health services and the negative effects of social media. But young people surely have to learn more resilience.
Governments and health professionals also have a duty to ensure that they do not simply quit their jobs. Challenging work may just be the medicine they need.
Yes, mental illness is a serious problem and can be debilitating. However, we must be careful not to confuse it with the anxiety that most of us experience during our formative years.
In the long run, it is not in anyone’s interest to medicalize all kinds of sadness and misfortune. Morally and economically, it causes more problems than it solves.
balance of power
Rishi Sunak’s pledge to build new gas-fired power stations and extend the life of some existing ones has brought a predictable howl of condemnation from the green lobby.
They said this was a regressive step that was “in contradiction” to the government’s net-zero commitments.
But unlike Mr. Sunak, these green fanatics aren’t responsible for keeping the lights and heat on when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.
The country is a world leader in the transition to renewable energy, with around 50 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources. But it is an illusion to pretend that they will be able to meet all our needs in the foreseeable future.
The transition to electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other new technologies will require even more electricity. Therefore, we either produce it ourselves or rely on others, including dictators like Vladimir Putin, to provide it to us at a price of their choosing. is. It’s a cruel choice, but it must be made.
Following the decision to allow new exploration in the North Sea, Mr Sunak clearly wants to inject some welcome realism into the net zero debate.
He said it could still be achieved by 2035, but without “pumping up thousands of pounds in costs for families in need and putting national security at risk”. Amen to that!