Sample Action Research Proposal

DISGUISED UNEMPLOYMENT
I.

Proponent:
Mendoza Charmaine B.
AB Psychology
Tarlac State University

II.

Background of the Study:

Unemployment is the condition and extent of joblessness within an economy, measured in terms

of the unemployment rate--the number of unemployed workers divided by the total civilian labor force.
The history of unemployment is the history of industrialization (Sinha, 2006). Unemployment levels are
increasing dramatically in many parts of the world because of the major causes such as overpopulation,
traditionalism, and ignorance. Moreover, more often, the demand for jobs is higher than what is being
offered in the market. Cyclical, frictional, structural and classical, seasonal, hardcore and hidden are the
sub-types and these kinds of unemployment may combine different types.
In addition, unemployment resulting from changes in the basic composition of the economy is
common nowadays. These changes simultaneously open new positions for trained workers, and left other
people with no background on it unemployed. One example is technological progress. In a fewer year far
less working hours are needed to produced all the goods, hence there will be less demand of labor and
will lead to the raise of unemployment ratio. Persons who would like to get a job and would be available
for work within, let us say, two weeks, but have not sought work in the past four weeks are classified as
being in disguised unemployment. It is a major crisis worldwide, and changing the word unemployment
into employment is the responsibility of jobseekers.Acquiring a secured job is the quest of all people, and
what the government as well as individual efforts are doing is critical.

III.

Statement of the Problem:

1)

What are the factors that affect to the further deepening of unemployment in the

society?
2)

What are the societal and individual causes of disguised unemployment?

3)

How can the knowledge of the several types of unemployment lead to the

understanding and resolving of the problem?

4)

What are the causes and effects of disguised unemployment in the economic growth

of a nation?
5)

How does ones National Minimum Wage affect unemployment and inflation?

6)

What are the governments policies and regulations in keeping their people employed

or at least keep unemployment rates at a minimum?

IV.

7)

Does unemployment insurance benefits a steady reliable source of income?

8)

What are the overall effects and inherent trade-offs of policies affecting unemployment?

Significance of the Study:

Several types of unemployment are as follows:
Cyclical unemployment- this exists due to inadequate. In this case, the number of
unemployed workers exceeds the number of job vacancies, so even if all open jobs were
filled, some workers would remain unemployed.
Frictional (search unemployment) - this kind of unemployment involves
people in the midst of transiting between jobs or for new ones. New entrants (such as
graduating students) and re-entrants (such as former homemakers) can also suffer a spell of
frictional unemployment.
Structural- this involves the unemployed workers lacking the skills needed for
the jobs or they are in the wrong part of the country and just take the jobs that are offered. It
is a mismatch of skills and opportunities due to the structure of the economy changing.
Classical- the number of jobseekers exceeds the number of job vacancies.
Employers deter hiring all available workers because the cost would exceed the marginal
product of labor.
Hidden- is the unemployment of potential workers that not reflected in official
unemployment statistics, due to the way the statistics are collected. This includes the retirees
and people who have seasonal jobs that statistics does not count because full time jobs are
the ones that they consider as jobs.
Hardcore- unemployment for people unable to work due to mental and physical

maladjustments

V.

Scope of the Study

A recent study by the United Nations refers to underemployment as employment in jobs

which occupied only a part of the workers available time or permit only the partial utilization
of their capacities. The latter form of waste of human resources is sometimes called
'concealed' or 'disguised' unemployment, and may be created by any of the conditions which
produce total unemployment, including structural maladjustments, cyclical fluctuations, or
persistent deficiency of the general demand for labor. Since the concept of underemployment
includes employment which does not permit the workers to make their full potential
contribution to the output of the community, full employment requires an occupational
distribution of the labor force which is optimal from the standpoint of maximizing for capital
output.
This concept of underemployment implies an evolutionary or developmental
approach, as the optimal distribution and utilization of the labor force is, at any given stage of
economic development, not an attainable goal, but rather an ideal construct indicating the
direction in which changes should be sought (Ducoff&Hagod, 1997).

VI.

Research Design
A. Methodology
This research will use both quantitative and qualitative approaches, but the approaches are relatively

independent until the interpretation stage (Niglas, 2000). The research design chose both qualitative and
quantitative research, which uses explanatory methods in describing the variables wherein the data, situations, or
other facts collected will be explained or correlated with other data. It is especially useful when conducting a study
wherein the data are immeasurable, such as feelings, beliefs, thoughts, and others (Mays & Pope, 2000).
Furthermore, the study will be descriptive as it will focus on the conditions set and the nature that surrounds the data
and does not focus on the correlation with other collected facts.

B. Sampling Design
Moreover, research methodologies are differentiated between quantitative and qualitative approaches.
The two types of research methodologies have different philosophical roots (Maykut and Morehouse, 1994).
Newman and Benz (1998) differentiate qualitative from quantitative research as approaches that are different in
basic philosophical assumptions about the nature of experience. The assumption, that there is a common reality
amongst people, directs quantitative researchers to use objective methods to search for knowledge (Newman and
Benz, 1998). On the other hand, qualitative researchers, who believe that there is no objective reality, reject
objective methods and claim that subjective methods are the best way to understand reality (Newman and Benz,
1998). Therefore, in investigating disguised unemployment, using both approaches will lead to an unbiased result
because both sides will be explored.

C. Description of instrument Data and Gathering Form.

1) What makes a person fall under the category of being unemployed,

and/or disguisedly unemployed?

2) Do you think disguised unemployment is people without no jobs, or with jobs but are not
actively participating in it?
3) Is disguised unemployment mean more persons employed for a job, which in reality takes only a few people to
accomplish?
4) Is it just the unemployment of women?
5) Does unemployment of people above 60 be called disguised unemployment?
6) Why does tax hikes cause unemployment?
7) What is open and disguised unemployment?
8) Does unemployment differ by age and gender?
9) What are the reasons behind unemployment?
10) Does the government have anything to do with it?
10) Does the government have anything to do with it?
11) What are typical jobs that are hard to get into? What are the jobs that is easy to penetrate, regardless of sex,
gender and education?
12) Who are the people considered or not considered fit to have a job, is it mainly personal reasons?
13) Is the lack of knowledge defers a person on not having a job?
14) What are the basic skills needed by a person to acquire a job?
15) Is the demand for jobs most of the time scarce than the supply for jobs?

16) What are the individual and social costs of unemployment?

17) Is inadequate employment considered as disguised unemployment?
18) What are the effects of unemployment in the society?
19) Does labor laws cause unemployment?
20) How can one aid an unemployed person?
21) Is workers compensation regarded as disguised unemployment?
22) What is the acceptable societal consideration if one has to be employed? Is it most of the time personal
again?
23) Do immigrants add to the cause of disguised unemployment in a country?
24) Does a minimum wage cause disguised unemployment?
25) Do soaring taxes cause disguised unemployment?
26) Is laziness the main cause of unemployment?
27) Is urbanization the main cause of poverty in the third world countries?
28) What are the effects of inflation, recession, and unemployment in a society?
29) What are the effects of a rise in the natural rate of unemployment?
30) What are the disadvantages of disguised unemployment?