Is Full Employment a Utopian Dream?

Full employment can be defined empirically or more theoretically as a situation marked by the absence of unvoluntary unemployment (and therefore the possibility of voluntary unemployment). In fact, it is a moving target, and differs according to the country and the periods.

Even if this target must be considered pragmatically, it remains and must remain the cardinal point of any economic policy. Work remains the main economic, social and societal anchor. Whatever its definition, full employment is still the most widely-shared goal -at least according to what is said if not always in the actions taken! and is the least contested of public policies. But how should the increase of structural unemployment due to negative shocks be dealt with? How can we leave our children something other than debts and unemployment? Above all, how can we reconnect with employment if full employment is not possible, a necessary condition for individual economic security, social inclusion and the fight against inequalities in access to employment?