Unemployment

Governments want everyone to be employed, but 63% of Americans and 48% of West Europeans say they would prefer to be self-employed. In Eastern Europe only about one third have the same ambition, because in countries with a recent history of poverty and underemployment a regular monthly salary is perceived as liberation from insecurity and hunger. But once the steady job becomes a reality, the dream often turns into a nightmare, and people long instead for liberation from the whims and tantrums of bosses. However, very few have succeeded in making self-employment a success.

How much energy is wasted sending out hundreds of applications for jobs, often getting no answer? It has long been known that the best way to get a job is through personal recommendation and contacts. So we would like to apply the Muse methods of creating opportunities for people to discover one another through conversations and portraits to job hunting.

We are in the process of setting up a scheme to do that, not just for those out of work, but for the large numbers who can see no prospect of getting jobs that suit their talents. We aim not so much to match qualifications as to establish mutual understanding between individuals which could lead to original initiatives based on trusting relationships.