Classwork Series and Exercises {Civic Education- SS 2}: How Employment Can Alleviate Poverty

Topic: How Employment Can Alleviate Poverty

Content- Meaning of employment

Ways by which employment can alleviate poverty

Employment

Employment is a situation where a person who is willing and able to work gets a befitting work to do.

It is the act of been gainfully employed either by public, private parastatals or by one-self (self employment). Employment makes a person responsible and not to stay idle in the society.

Ways by which employment can alleviate poverty.

Poverty is the situation whereby people earn low income or consumption. It is the lack of physical and basic necessities of life like food, clothing and shelter. Employment can help to alleviate poverty through the following means:

1. Provision of income for the family: When the bread winner of the family is gainfully employed he or she will be able to meet the basic, and future needs of the family e.g. provision of food, payment of school fees etc.
2. Economic growth: If employment is put in place for the citizens, they will be able to work and cater for themselves and not depend on the government. Therefore the government will have to spend less on the citizens and use her money for other needs in the country which therefore bring about growth in the economy.
3. Standard of saving and investment in the country: Income can only be generated from employment and through this medium, the citizens that are gainfully employed will be able to save some amount for future purposes, and this will help to boost the savings and investment in the country. This can help alleviate poverty in the future.
4. Sustainable productivity of the country: A country’s productivity can only be sustainable for her citizens in a situation where there are employments in place for the citizens and through this medium, poverty can be alleviated.
5. Reduction of crime rate in the society: When people are gainfully employed, they will stay away from crimes since “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” this will help the government to save more out of her crime fighting fund.
6. Generation of funds for the government: When citizens are gainfully employed, it becomes easy for them to pay their taxes and rates, and this money can then be used to develop so many areas in the economy and alleviate poverty. Other means are
7. Employment will help to bring about industrial growth
8. Increases the standard of living of the people.

Test and Exercise

1. The situation where a person who is willing and capable of working gets a befitting work to do is (a) unemployment (b) employment (d) employee (d) employer. ans (b)
2. When an individual lives below the economy level and could not get the basic necessities of life, the situation is refers to as (a) enjoyment (b) employment (c) poverty (d) development. ans (c)
3. Employment can help alleviate poverty through all of these means except (a) industrial growth (b) provision of income for the family (c) increase the rate of crimes (d) increase standard of living of the people. ans (c)
4. The opposite of employment is (a) productivity (b) job (c) unemployment (d) employed. ans (c)
5. Employment cannot help to reduce poverty in Nigeria. True/ false. ans(true).