Towards a normalisation of unemployment? A French exploratory study

Recent trends in the perception of labour and employment (Bourhis & Wils, 2001; Cultiaux & Vendramin, 2010; De Witte, Halman & Gelissen, 2004) suggest changes in the perception of unemployment and absence of work. Some years ago, Galland (2000) put forward the hypothesis that the statistical increase of unemployment could lead to its relative normalisation.

We thus hypothesise jobless people, fighting the negative effects of unemployment, consider this situation as normal and unavoidable, and attribute it to external, non-controllable factors. Then, to a better understanding of this phenomenon, the present study examines the links between normalisation and various psychological and socio-professional dimensions.

205 French unemployed people took 5 questionnaires: the French version of coping scale WCC-R (Way of Coping Checklist - Revised, Cousson, 1996), a scale of locus of control (Meyers & Houssemand, 2005), one of centrality of work (Gringas & Chagnon, 1997), some items allow the definition of the professional trajectories and career path (Dupuy, Le Blanc, & Mégemont, 2006) and a scale of unemployment normalisation (Pignault & Houssemand, 2013).

Results showed external locus of control (r=.36, p<.001) and emotion-focused coping style (r=.43, p<.001) are positively correlated with unemployment normalisation. But the participants’ career path did not influence their representation of the unemployment.

This study confirms the hypothesis that the unemployment normalisation depends on some psychological dimensions. Unemployment services could use it for predicting the normalisation level and fighting better against the jobless situation.