UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE INTERNET

While new information technologies are universally blamed for the disappearance of many traditional jobs, they have at the same time opened new horizons, provided new opportunities and given new hopes. The Internet has already proven to be a major and innovative tool/resource in many important areas of human activity such as business, education and entertainment. These areas are of crucial importance for the unemployed who often need to upgrade or refresh their skills and knowledge (poor or insufficient skills/educational background being usually the main reason for the unemployed not being able to join the workforce). The Internet can benefit the short and long-term unemployed in various ways: through on-line educational and training programmes, non-residential learning centres, alternative schools and youth centres, job-search databases and also through creating and maintaining new relationships that can lead to new employment opportunities. Governments should implicitly encourage the use and development of Internet- based educational programmes. Incentives should be provided to unemployed who would qualify for participation in Internet professional training programmes. That might include raising the unemployment benefits for the successful participants, or the provision of direct subsidies in order to avoid the emergence of a two-tier society of “information haves ” and “have-nots”