[摘要]

The Struggles of the Unemployed in Taiwan With a Study of Social Exclusion

The fast development of technology indeed brings more global marketing; it at

the same time replaces the traditional businesses and industries as well. This

rigorous social economical change further raises the already increasing rate

of unemployment especially to the laborers who are elderly, less educated, and/

or lacking of updated technology skills. The rationale of this study is to

discuss the background characteristics of the unemployed under this particular

social structure; to analyze the difficulties of the unemployed due to the

lack of support from social resources. I would base my research on the

recognition and awareness of Social Exclusion to describe and discuss the

major effects reflected as the patterns of their struggles in utilizing the

social resources during their long-term unemployment.

In addition, I would apply data analysis on the quantitative ness of the

unemployed with an assumption that which is impacted by Social Exclusion. I

will explain various survival situations with different background

characteristics of the unemployed:

1. Examine the background characteristics of the unemployed in Taiwan from

1997-2001.

2. Analyze the strategies used by the unemployed to be active in the job

market and how Social Exclusion influenced those unsuccessful cases.

3. Observe the correlation and variation between the characteristics of the

unemployed and Social Exclusion.

The source of this study is pulled out from the sample of an official

unemployment survey --- Executive Report of Primary Survey on Social

Structural Change in Taiwan Area: Phase VI, Project II--- which was conducted

in Taiwan in 2001.

Research has shown that aging unemployed tend to make living by approaching

part-time or temporary labor work. The less educated unemployed who used to

work with a smaller factory suffer the most financially--- least cash flow,

savings or interest. While searching for a new job, this group tends to use

the traditional networking with the help from family, relatives, or friends.

The younger unemployed, in contrast, use more computer webs to match new job

opportunities. The above mentioned background characteristics are the obvious

obstacles in their job-hunting process. Overall, the lack of traditional job

opportunities and low educational background are the major reasons that cause

the frustration of the unemployed, and they finally lose hope in the entire

job market.

Looking at the struggles of the unemployed in Taiwan, a group of negative

factors actually affect each other as an ongoing circulation: aging, low

inventory of job opportunity, low educational background, and lack of social

resources. In order to survive and compete in the global wise economical

hardship, the unemployed were forced to learn new knowledge, or master updated

muti-technology skills in a timed pace without enough social supports. In

Taiwan, the traditional social network relations used to be strongly deep-

rooted in businesses, marketing and industries. However, due to fast,

tremendous structural change of society, discouraging economic environment as

well as the significant change of industry, this supporting system has been

weakened and gradually loses its networking functions, which leads the issue

of unemployment in Taiwan even more pessimistically.