Types of Unemployment (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Economics)

Revision Note

Steve Vorster

Written by: Steve Vorster

Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn

Types of Unemployment

  • It is possible to classify the causes of unemployment into three categories

  1. Structural unemployment occurs when there is a mismatch between jobs and skills in the economy

    • It usually happens as the structure of an economy changes e.g. the secondary sector is declining and the tertiary sector is growing

    • There is no longer a need for a specific type of worker e.g. ship builders in Glasgow

    • Many Western industries have relocated production to China causing structural unemployment in their economies

    • Unless workers receive help to retrain, they are often left unemployed or underemployed

  2. Cyclical unemployment is caused by a fall of total (aggregate) demand in an economy

    • This typically happens during a slow down or recession

    • At least one of the components of real gross domestic product (rGDP) is falling (consumption, investment, government spending or net exports)

    • The demand for labour is a demand derived from the demand for goods/services

    • As output falls in the economy, firms lay off workers 

  3. Frictional unemployment occurs when workers are between jobs

    • This is usually short-term unemployment

    • Workers have voluntarily left their previous job to search for another 

Last updated:

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Steve Vorster

Author: Steve Vorster

Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.

Jenna Quinn

Author: Jenna Quinn

Expertise: Head of New Subjects

Jenna studied at Cardiff University before training to become a science teacher at the University of Bath specialising in Biology (although she loves teaching all three sciences at GCSE level!). Teaching is her passion, and with 10 years experience teaching across a wide range of specifications – from GCSE and A Level Biology in the UK to IGCSE and IB Biology internationally – she knows what is required to pass those Biology exams.