Social Studies

SBA

NAME OF CANDIDATE:
Adlia Simms, Jada Myers, Jada Edwards, Samoya Dixon
CANDIDATE #:
SCHOOL: South- East College
CENTRE #:
SUBJECT: Social Studies
TEACHER: Miss Wright
TERRITORY: Jamaica
YEAR SUBMITTED: 2021

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement………………………………………………………………………..3

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………4

Statement of Problem…………………………………………………………………….5

Reason for selecting topic………………………………………………………….…….6

Method of Investigation………………………………………………………………….7

Instrument used to collect data…………………………………………………………...8

Procedure used to collect data (questionnaire)…………………………………………..9

Presentation and Explanation of Data……………………………………………………12

Analysis and Interpretation of Data……………………………………………………...16

Findings………………………………………………………………………………….18

Recommendation and Implementation Strategies……………………………………….19

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………...20

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….21

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The successful completion of this research would not have been possible without the

cooperation of the participants. Hence. We would like to gracefully thank the residents of Chocolate

Hole District, Junction St. Elizabeth for their participation and valuable time spent taking part in our

research. Special thanks to our families for motivating us during the course of this project. We would

also like to extend this gratitude towards our teacher, Mrs Wright who went through the required steps

to guide us through the research. Lastly and most importantly, we thank God who has made all of this

possible.

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 INTRODUCTION

Chocolate Hole District is a community located in Junction, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.

The community consists of a few local shops and bars but mostly residential homes and an

estimated population of over five hundred citizens. The community is in close distance to the

growing town, Junction. A fellow group member has been a resident of Chocolate District for

the past 4 years and during her residency, she has observed the high unemployment rate

within the community. Unemployment is defined as a situation where an individual of

working age is unable to acquire a job but would like to be full- time employment. As a

result, we have decided to conduct a survey to investigate the levels of unemployment of

persons within Chocolate Hole District, Junction.

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 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Topic: Unemployment in my community

What are the causes, consequences and possible solutions of unemployment in Chocolate
Hole District, Junction?

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 REASON FOR SELECTING TOPIC
The opt most reason for selecting this topic is because it has been a problem to the

citizens in this community for years, thus we found this investigation of importance to be

carried out to discover the causes, consequences and possible solutions to this issue.

Unemployment in the community seems to be a major issue that is generated from the lack of

job opportunities in the nearby town which causes the standard of living for the community’s

families to decrease. This has resulted in a lack of food, shelter and quality of education. The

scarcity in job opportunities has led the youth loitering in bars and shops and also turning to

cultivating illegal plants. Hence, we had a deep interest in talking to the residents of the

community and having the chance to note their suggestions and the best possible solutions.

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 METHOD OF INVESTIGATION
In order to carry out this investigation, the researchers have selected printed

questionnaires, in order to generate information for the survey. A questionnaire is a research

instrument consisting of a series of questions for the purpose of gathering information from

respondents. This instrument has a number of advantages:

 It can be distributed to a large population

 Participants identification (ID) is anonymous

 Questionnaires offer a quick way to get results

 It requires little time to be completed.

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 INSTRUMENT USED TO COLLECT DATA

SURVEY OF THE LEVELS OF UNEMLPOYMENT IN CHOCOLATE HOLE DISTRICT,

JUNCTION

Dear Citizens,

This is a survey being carried out in Chocolate Hole, Junction in order to determine the

causes and consequences of the level of unemployment in the community. This study is being

carried out as an assignment for a Social Studies course currently being pursued. You are

advised to choose the most appropriate response by placing a tick in the box [ ] provided

beside its corresponding answer. Please note that this is not a test so therefore there is no

correct or incorrect answer. All information you share will be kept in confidence by the

researchers. Your identification (ID) is not a requirement to answer the questionnaire. We are

grateful for your cooperation and valuable time you take in responding to the questions

below. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

A. Simms

J. Edwards

J. Myers

S. Dixon

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 QUESTIONNAIRE

Instructions: Please place a tick in the box [ ] that corresponds with your answer

1. What is your gender?

[ ] Female [ ] Male

2. Which age category do you belong?

[ ] 18-25 yrs. [ ] 31-40 yrs.

[ ] 26- 30 yrs. [ ] 41 yrs. & over

3. How long have you been residing in Chocolate Hole District, Junction?

[ ] 1-5 yrs. [ ] 11-15 yrs.

[ ] 6-10 yrs. [ ] 16 yrs. & over

4. Which institution did you last attend?

[ ] Primary [ ] Tertiary

[ ] Secondary/ High School [ ] Skill training institution

5. What is your highest level of education?

[ ] Certification [ ] Diploma/ Associate Degree

[ ] CSEC/CAPE Subjects [ ] Bachelor’s Degree/ Masters Degree

6. Have you ever been employed?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

7. How has unemployment affected you?

[ ] Discrimination from society

[ ] Fuel to past crimes

[ ] Unable to provide the basic needs for myself and those in my care

[ ] Lack of confidence and self-esteem

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8. How has unemployment impacted the entire community in general?

[ ] Increased crime rate

[ ] Impact the education of the youth in the community

[ ] Alienation and stigma from other communities

[ ] Allows individuals to settle for low paying jobs

9. What are some causes of unemployment?

[ ] Inability to meet the requirements

[ ] Disabilities or Health problems

[ ] Absence of educational opportunities

[ ] Lack of job opportunities

10. What is your current employment status?

[ ] Unemployed [ ] Full-time employed

[ ] Part-time employed [ ] Self- employed

11. Depending on your employment status by what means are you able to provide for

your family?

[ ] Provides for families by working

[ ] Family Assistance

[ ] Assistance from government

[ ] Assistance from friends

12. What are some social problems that unemployment has led to in the community?

[ ] Stealing

[ ] Cultivation of illegal plants

[ ] Low standard of living of families

[ ] An increase in the country’s unemployment rate

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13. In which of the following ways could members of the community reduce

unemployment levels?

[ ] Community members can assist the less literate to make and dispense resumes

[ ] Becoming involved in self-employment

[ ] Business owners could expand or construct enterprises and employ more

community workers

[ ] Contacting local government offices to provide local jobs

14. What can be done by the government to reduce unemployment in the community?

[ ] Provide more skill training centres

[ ] Offer small business loans to citizens

[ ] Enforce agriculture in the community

[ ] Promoting entrepreneurship and innovation

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 PRESENTATION AND EXPLANATION OF DATA

Causes Contributing To Unemployment In The Com-

munity

15%

38%

33%

15%

Inability to meet the job requirements Absence of educational opportunities

Lack of job opportunities Disabilities or Health problems

Figure 1 Pie chart showing causes of Unemployment in the community of

Chocolate Hole District

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25

20

15

10

0
Discrimination from Fuel to past crimes Unable to provide for Lack of confidence and
society myself and those in my low self esteem
care

The Impact of unemployment on it residents

Figure 2 Bar graph showing effects of Unemployment on the Community of

Chocolate Hole District

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 Impact of Unemployment on the community

Allows individuals to settle for low paying jobs

Alienation and stigma from other communities

Impact the education of the youth in the community

Increased crime rate

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Impact of Unemployment on the community

Figure 3 Clustered bar graph showing the impact of Unemployment on

Chocolate Hole District

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Community members can assist the less 16
literate to make and dispense resumes
Becoming involved in self-employment 11
Business owners could expand or 17
construct enterprises and employ more
community workers.
Contacting local government offices to 16
provide local jobs

Figure 4 Table showing methods that could be practiced by residents to decrease

unemployment rates

Graph showing methods by the government that could

reduce unemployment levels
25
20
15
10
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Graph showing methods by the government that could reduce unemployment levels

Figure 5 Line graph showing methods if taken by the government decrease the
unemployment level in Chocolate Hole District

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 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Unemployment is a term referring to individuals who are employable and actively

seeking a job but are unable to find a job. From the biographical data collected, a lot of youth

and adults are unemployed. The cause of this can be that there is: inability to meet the

requirements, financial issues, absence of educational opportunities and lack of interest; the

most popular reason being the inability to meet requirements. In today’s society with the

reasons mentioned above it is really hard to find a job if you do not have the right skills and

requirements needed for the job. These situations can lead up to a lot of: discrimination from

society, being unable to provide the basic needs for yourself and those in your care and also

lack of confidence and self-esteem. These can result in a lot of stress and sickness as stress

can cause health problems such as high blood pressure.

High unemployment rates will most likely lead to increased crime rates, the impact of the

education of the youth in the community, alienation and stigma from other communities and

allowing individuals to settle for low paying jobs. This will cause a lot of issues as

unemployed youths will work for a far lower wage than they are owed because jobs are hard

to get. It is ethically wrong to low pay anyone who is not working in a company or an

organization. A lot of times these actions can cause an accident or an argument. Alienation

and stigma from other communities can cause low self-esteem and lack of self-worth in

young adults especially, which can cause them to turn to illicit and illegal activities for

sustenance and as a confidence booster.

In society there are a lot of ways that members of the community can do to help reduce

unemployment levels, such as: community members assisting the less literate in making and

dispensing resumes, becoming involved in self-employment. Business owners could expand

or construct enterprises and employ more community workers and contacting local

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government offices to provide local jobs. This does not only help the unemployed youths, but

also the community. This meaning that the members of the community are coming together

as one, cooperating and setting a goal. The execution of these activities gives unemployed

youths hope that if they are struggling financially, they can depend on some members of the

community to help them to build a better future or help them to even go back to school, if that

was the issue. Encouraging the youths is a very positive thing to do society. Most of the times

all youths need is a little motivation, and help to just push themselves to start doing

something that can help themselves and provide for persons in their care. It’s better to help

people than to discriminate against them. Individuals often lack self-confidence because they

believe society will judge them for what they are doing. Nothing is wrong with going back to

school at a certain age; doing that shows that you’re interested in doing something with your

life and that you are pursuing your dreams. It does not matter how old you are, you can still

accomplish your dream if you have the right attitude towards it.

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 FINDINGS

During our research, we have obtained information on unemployment in Chocolate Hole

District. It is as follows:
 35% (21) of the respondents are in the age group of 26-30 years old.

 28% of respondents have been unable to find employment due to the inability to meet
requirements while 25% cited the incompletion of school as their reason.

 Unemployment has affected people most by being unable to provide the basic needs
for themselves and those in their care.

 The majority of people believe that the government can reduce unemployment by
offering small business loans to citizens.

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 RECOMMENDATION AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

 The education and health sectors should be expanded. The building of more schools,
hospitals and health centres will create employment opportunities during construction
and also when they are up and running.
 The government should work to fund education for tertiary institutions. This can be
done by offering more subsidies for tertiary level students so as to alleviate some of
the pressures
 The government should lower interest rates as it makes it easier for people to borrow
what they need. This includes expensive items like cars, homes and electronics. Low
interest rates also allow businesses to borrow for less, which gives them the financial
capital to hire enough workers to meet rising demand.
 I recommend that the government offer small business loans to citizens. This will
encourage more entrepreneurship.
 The government should encourage agriculture and invest more in that sector. This
allows new jobs to be opened, increases goods to be exported which expands the
country’s G.D.P.
 The government should promote entrepreneurship by teaching about the benefits of it
in schools and should encourage citizens to start businesses by placing advertisements
on television, radio, social media, etc.
 The cutting of taxes will allow businesses to hire more people and expand its products
and services and allow consumers more money to spend.

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APPENDIX

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Unemployment.” Corporate Finance Institute, 30 Jan. 2021,

corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/economics/unemployment.

Mukherjee, Subho. “Top 6 Strategies to Reduce Unemployment.” Economics Discussion, 26

Aug. 2015, www.economicsdiscussion.net/unemployment/top-6-strategies-to-reduce-

unemployment/10115.

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