Working in the hidden economy

The experience of unemployed men in the UK

Bibliographic Data

ID2172804
AuthorsJudith Sixsmith (0000-0002-3290-1343, corresponding author), Judith A Sixsmith
Year1999
Volume2
Issue3
Pages257-277
Publication date1999-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunity Work & Family (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1366-8803 • E-ISSN: 1469-3615
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13668809908412185
OpenAlexW2015112565
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited23

Hidden economy working amongst unemployed people can be defined in terms of working for financial gain without declaration for tax purposes while also claiming social welfare benefits. The extent, nature, and experience of hidden economy working among the unemployed in Britain is, as yet, little understood. As part of an in-depth interview study of 44 long-term unemployed men, 17 of the men talked about their experiences of working in the hidden economy. This paper reports on the extent, nature and experience of hidden economy working amongst these long-term unemployed men, and the meaning of such work to them, their families and local community. The complex matrix of feelings (including guilt, anxiety and pleasure), combined with the financial gains, fear of losing welfare benefit and the ability to practise work-related skills contributed to creating a lifeworld for these men which had implications for their experience of family and community life

Anxiety · Declaration · Economic growth · Economics · Feeling · Meaning (existential · Pleasure · Political science · Psychotherapist · Unemployment · Welfare · Employment and Welfare Studies · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences · Psychology · Taxation and Compliance Studies · Law · Social Psychology