EP20: Unemployment in Qarra - TRANSCRIPT

 Hi! You're listening to Hyba is Writing, and I am your host, Hyba. These days, concerns over unemployment are pretty front and center, especially among people of my own generation who are entering the workforce, and those of younger generations that are still in high school but can see that getting a job is going to be especially tough. Today, I wanted to discuss how unemployment - and employment - works in different parts of Qarra. In particular, I want to go ahead and talk about how it works in Belvatria, Sissa, and Vakkar - in that order. So let's start with Belvatria.

BELVATRIA
The Belvatrian employment system works quite simply and efficiently. Usually, and at its most basic, one inherits a trade from one of their parents. In the case of both parents having different trades, they can choose which to pursue. Now, if they don't want to pursue either of those trades, or if one perhaps fails at pursuing those trades, they can opt to seek another trade.

They can do this by going to different shops, organizations, factories, or businesses, and asking around to see if they are willing to take on an apprentice. This is tiring work. For those of you who have gone through the job search before, you know that you can get rejected by dozens before you land a job. And we've got the internet! So you can imagine how difficult it can be for a person having to go on foot to various locations every day to try their luck.

Because it can get tiring, and because it's really hard to do this on a daily basis while exhausting what little money you have left, there exists another solution for job-seekers. The Belvatrian imperial government sets up what are called Workers' Boards in every guildhall. For reference, a guildhall is basically like a town hall or city hall - a public administrative location - and guildhalls exist in every town and every city in Belvatria. So, if you're looking for a job, you walk into the nearest guildhall and check out all the postings.

The postings will range from local vacancies to vacancies that may require you to relocate to other parts of the empire. Employers will usually have a certain number of notices made, and then have them sent out to their chosen locations. For example, an employer may decide only to advertise their job vacancy in the city where they have their headquarters, and in the towns and cities immediately surrounding it. Or they can choose to send their advertisements to all of Belvatria.

There are also government-supported posts in Belvatria. Most of these will be public service posts, such as sanitation, various public administrator jobs, and even army posts. A sizable number of people wish to go into public service jobs because of the stability that they offer.

For those who remain unemployed for four months or more, Belvatria does have solutions in place. For example, unemployed people can apply for government loans to pay for apprenticeships or other training courses at schools which may increase their chances at getting a job in a specific trade. Additionally, since the government would like its investment to be returned, it offers the person additional support in finding a job where their skills would make them successful. There's no such thing as interest, so the person is expected to pay back the loan that they received in full at an agreed-upon pace after securing a job.

SISSA
Now let's move on to Sissa. Belvatria and Sissa are close to one another and much of their economies lean on trade between them. However, Belvatria is significantly smaller than Sissa. I've mentioned before in my Journey Through Qarra segment that Sissa is so big, it's a world of its own. It's a huge empire, and within that empire you will find dozens of different peoples with different cultures living with one another, mainly because these were all kingdoms that were conquered by the Sissan Empire. In any case, its sheer size makes it important for Sissa to have an organized yet simple method of providing employment and dealing with unemployment, especially as the Empire works hard to create a centralized system despite its enormity.

To make a long story short, Sissa has many of the same services and features as Belvatria. However, because parts of its economy is segmented by province, there are some additions. For example, the province or Orum is responsible of almost all of Sissa's gold mining and production. So, in Orum, you will find The Golden Guild, a large organization that is charged by law with not only regulating and reporting on gold manufacturing, but also with handling employment related to the gold industry. If you're in Orum and you're looking to get into the gold trade, you would go to The Golden Guild to find opportunities.

Guilds like these exist throughout the various provinces of Sissa, and job-seekers can leave the equivalent of a resume listing their skills and experiences - as well as their address - at these guilds. When an employer comes looking for people to hire, the guild grants them access to their oft-updated records of job-seekers currently looking for employment in their field. If any one of them grabs their attention, employers can send them notice to the address on their document.

Additionally, it is common for a new emperor or empress to pledge their support to helping one or two industries flourish under their reign. For example, when you read The Pirates of Sissa - whenever I can get it out there for you lovely people - you'll find yourselves in Sissa at the time of Sizar Gallus's rule. Under his reign, his support for the arts has created a boom in that industry, and more people have gravitated to that field as a result. Architects, artisans, painters, sculptors, musicians, and many other kinds of artists are able to pursue their careers as a result of generous support from the emperor's administration. They do this by applying for loans or visiting their guildhalls to apply for the never-ending stream of artistic jobs coming from the Saray under the patronage of Sizar Gallus.

Previous emperors and empresses have supported fields they felt strongly about, including army and defense, agriculture and husbandry, fishing and diving, and more. If you're struggling with long-term unemployment, going for a job in the industry currently supported by the reigning emperor or empress is pretty much a sure thing, because you'll find boundless opportunities to learn the trade, grow your skills, and you'll find generous financial support plans from the government to help you along.

VAKKAR
Alright, we'll wrap up this episode with how Vakkar deals with unemployment and the opportunities it presents. Vakkar is very different, culturally and economically. Being a small kingdom not quite as blessed with its natural resources as Belvatria or Sissa, the Vakkarian economy is often turbulent. What most of its economy leans on is its fleece and wool industry. Vakkar creates some of the loveliest, softest, most colourful materials for textiles, and as such their materials are quite expensive and highly sought after.

If you're looking for a job in Vakkar, it might be a bit more difficult. Apart from positions that are required for everyday functioning of the kingdom - positions like butcher, baker, banker, blacksmith, and so on - there are very few career paths that one can take. If you're happy having a job that will probably mean you will do the same thing for the rest of your life, and if that is enough for you, then that's great! But if you want something more than that, you're going to have a hard time finding it.

However, your best chance at a more lucrative job would be to become a part of the textile industry in Vakkar, since it is where most of the money is. Since it's a seasonal job - gathering the fleece and wool and preparing it for sale or trade - it may seem like it isn't the most stable. Still, this industry is busy at all times of the year, and if you're able to be flexible enough to follow its seasonal movements, you may find yourself able to support yourself and a family and offer them a relatively good life.

As a side note, I have to state that in comparison to Belvatria and Sissa, I would say that Vakkar has the highest unemployment rates of the three - but you have to understand that it's also because the kingdom has been in slow decline for two centuries and there is civil unrest and disillusionment with the reigning Queen Salva and her government, as well as with the nobility. Vakkar was once much larger than it is when the reader visits it in the last book of the series, and its current state is the result of poor governance and horrible decisions made by those in charge. It still has the ability to become the great kingdom it was before, but for now it seems Vakkar has stagnated. We'll talk about immigration more in another episode, but many young people are emigrating from Vakkar due to a startling lack of opportunities and an inability for them, as a result, to support themselves financially or start families.

Alright, that's it for today's episode! I hope you found this an interesting look into certain aspects of my worldbuilding, and if you're interested in learning more or asking some questions, drop by my blog and leave me a comment there, or contact me at my website or social media. All the links are in the episode description.

Thanks for tuning in today!

Until next time.