Why Do Workers Blame Themselves When There’s No Work?

Employment in the US is a very uneven metric of economic stability. Some of the fastest growth is occurring in large metropolitan areas, where industries can thrive and benefit from local talent, infrastructure, and resources. Conversely, rural areas have been seeing a brain drain for some time, with few sources of employment for the residents who do remain. Manufacturing has also been shrinking consistently for several decades, despite successive politicians’ promises to revive the industry. And certainly, recent mass layoffs in the civil service mean that even government jobs that once offered the promise of long-term security are far less guaranteed than they once were.

POMPANO BEACH, FL – JUNE 03: Stephen Greene works a street corner hoping to land a job as a laborer or carpenter on June 3, 2011 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Employers in May added 54,000 jobs, the fewest in eight months, and the unemployment rate inched up to 9.1 percent. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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These changes present a spotty landscape for workers. They are indicative of a new era in which employment is generally very precarious, uncertain, and temporary. Yet many of these changes are also the result of big-picture factors—what sociologists refer to as structural dynamics—that are beyond individual control. Increased competition and globalization, for instance, contributed to a decline in the US manufacturing industry that has resulted in a steep decline in jobs over the past four decades. Other estimates predict that rising automation could displace over 70 million workers by 2030. Yet as anyone who’s ever watched Season 2 of The Wire could tell you, these changes are not the fault of individual workers in these industries. Why then are workers so prone to blaming themselves for their own employment woes?

Who Takes The Blame?

The theme of workers holding themselves responsible for larger macroeconomic and sociological forces is a recurring one. Sociologist Jennifer Silva writes about the bleak economic landscape for those entering adulthood. Silva finds that these young people no longer mark “growing up” by traditional measures such as finding work or owning a home. Skyrocketing home prices, staggering debt, and a lack of consistent, stable, “good jobs” make doing that impossible. Instead, they focus on the struggles they have, with any luck, been able to overcome—addiction, betrayal, poverty. It’s crucial to note that the lack of gainful employment looms large and is a key driver of the uncertainty these young adults face. But equally important is the fact that these young workers aren’t responsible for the jobs leaving their rural communities, the lack of training, or the missing infrastructure that made bigger cities riper for investment. Nonetheless, they focus on themselves rather than the bigger, structural dynamics that make employment—or the lack thereof—such a central missing piece.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07: Luis Mora stands in front of the closed offices of the New York State Department of Labor on May 7, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough in New York City. 3.2 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance this week bringing the total number of workers who have applied for aid to 33 million in the past two months. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

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Though rising unemployment is happening in many places, this individualized response to it may be a particularly American problem. In a study comparing workers in the United States and Israel, sociologist Ofer Sharone found that those in the latter country were far less likely to attribute unemployment to their own perceived shortcomings and flaws. These workers sought to highlight the ways their resumes and experiences fit the jobs for which they were applying. They highlighted the ways they were specifically qualified for the jobs they sought. Those in the US, by contrast, attempted to highlight the individual personalities behind the resumes and cover letters, and to show how they, as unique individuals, were the right fit for the jobs for which they were applying. Both are understandable strategies. But for Americans, this focus on individualism meant that when job searches failed, applicants took this as a direct reflection of their own self-worth. When they were unable to land jobs, particularly for a prolonged period of time, they did not conceptualize this as a problem of industries on the decline, or of increased automation, or the consequences of globalization. They blamed themselves.

When Individualism Goes Too Far

Why do these workers see unemployment as a personal rather than a structural problem? Much of this is likely attributable to US culture. Themes of individualism, meritocracy, and autonomy are deeply embedded in the American ethos in ways that may make it very difficult for workers to see themselves as subject to larger structural dynamics. This American ethic can perhaps be a motivating factor in some cases—it may spur innovation, entrepreneurship, and in the immortal words of Jay Z, may push workers to “go farther, go further, go harder.” But when it comes to employment, it could also have significant adverse consequences for workers if they blame themselves for outcomes well beyond their control.

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