New Perspective

Contextual factors and the experience of unemployment: A review of qualitative studies

Melinda du Toit, Hans de Witte, Sebastiaan Rothmann, Anja van den Broeck
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences | Vol 21, No 1 | a2083 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v21i1.2083 | © 2018 Melinda Du Toit, Hans De Witte, Sebastiaan Rothmann, Anja Van Den Broeck | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 31 August 2017 | Published: 18 June 2018

About the author(s)

Melinda du Toit, Optentia Research Focus Area, North-West University, South Africa
Hans de Witte, Optentia Research Focus Area, North-West University, South Africa; Work, Organisational and Personnel Psychology Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Sebastiaan Rothmann, Optentia Research Focus Area, North-West University, South Africa
Anja van den Broeck, Optentia Research Focus Area, North-West University, South Africa; Department of Marketing and Organisation Studies, Faculty of Economics and Business, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

Abstract

This study aimed to review qualitative studies on the contextual factors affecting the experience of unemployed individuals. From the analysis of the findings of 13 qualitative studies, the conclusion was reached that the contextual factors, namely the broader society, the surrounding community, and the individual as actor or agent, had a direct impact on the unemployment experience of individuals. It was recommended that unemployed individuals be organised into community subgroups, constructed to participate in projects aimed at empowering the community to improve cohesion, equality among members, and a collaborative attitude. Social scientists ought to make an effort to advocate a marked improvement in society’s tolerance for, and understanding of, the realities faced by the unemployed person. One such reality was that a well-paying job that would take an individual out of financial hardship could be well out of reach of some individuals, which would mean a life of surviving without any regular income.

Keywords

unemployment; context; community; society; qualitative review

Metrics

Total abstract views: 5076
Total article views: 9747

 

Crossref Citations

1. Can Econometrics Incorporate a Critical Pedagogy Praxis?
Thereza Balliester Reis, Yaerin Yoon
Review of Radical Political Economics  vol: 57  issue: 3  first page: 527  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1177/04866134251318391

2. Lived Experiences of Unemployed Graduate Youth in Botswana
Thato Setambule
Commonwealth Youth and Development  vol: 20  issue: 1  year: 2023  
doi: 10.25159/2663-6549/10736

3. South African Unemployment in the Post-Financial Crisis Era: What are the Determinants?
Lutho Mbekeni, Andrew Phiri
Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia  vol: 20  issue: 2  first page: 230  year: 2020  
doi: 10.2478/foli-2020-0046

4. The psychological factors influencing youth moving from unemployment to employment in South Africa
Daphne J. Pereira, Noorjehan Joosub, Pieter Basson
African Journal of Career Development  vol: 6  issue: 1  year: 2024  
doi: 10.4102/ajcd.v6i1.118

5. Un chômage sans recherche d’emploi ? Une zone d’ombre dans la littérature sociologique sur les expériences du chômage
Didier Demazière, Alizée Delpierre
Sociologie du travail  vol: 64  issue: 3  year: 2022  
doi: 10.4000/sdt.41644

6. Motivational Profiles in Unemployment: A Self-Determination Perspective
Leoni van der Vaart, Anja Van den Broeck, Sebastiaan Rothmann, Hans De Witte
Frontiers in Public Health  vol: 10  year: 2022  
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.870073

7. Socioeconomic inequalities in meeting the needs of the elderly in western Iran
Sediqheh Mafakheri, Fatemeh Mansouri-Shad, Parvin Cheraghi, Qhadir Nouri, Zahra Cheraghi
BMC Public Health  vol: 25  issue: 1  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22982-z

8. The value chain and activities of polyethylene terephthalate plastics in the South African waste economy
Marlin Hoffman, Catherina Schenck
Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit  vol: 35  issue: 5  first page: 523  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1177/0269094220931697

9. Reducing gender-based unemployment in India: the impact of social inclusion and foreign funds inflows
Imran Khan, Darshita Fulara Gunwant
Indian Growth and Development Review  vol: 17  issue: 1  first page: 86  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1108/IGDR-07-2023-0103

10. The Hidden Drivers of Youth Unemployment
Kok Meng Ng, Philip Tan Hock Guan, Rui Huan Tan, Andrii Kushnarevych
International Journal of Asian Business and Information Management  vol: 16  issue: 1  first page: 1  year: 2025  
doi: 10.4018/IJABIM.388564

11. Stress in Fresh Graduates Who Have a Hard Time Finding a Job
Nadia Khairina, Aldo Syaherul Duta Wijaya, Meita Syifanda Kansha
KnE Social Sciences  vol: 10  issue: 25  first page: 108  year: 2025  
doi: 10.18502/kss.v10i25.19891