For the purposes of this work, the article on long-term unemployment was chosen. It uses a number of line graphs as a part of its narrative, as a way to reinforce and explain its central point. The first graph displays long-term unemployment trends from 1900 to 2022. The X axis is used for tracking years, while the Y axis corresponds to the number of long-term unemployed people in Australia (in thousands). Current number of long-term unemployed individuals, according to this graph, reached 127,000 in 2022 (Hutchens, 2022). There are significant fluctuations on the graph, corresponding with major political and economic events. In addition, notes are made on the graph to delineate a similarity between unemployment numbers today and in 2013 (Hutchens, 2022). The article argues that the level of long-term unemployment has fallen significantly compared to the previous years, reaching the lowest point in 9 years (Hutchens, 2022). The graph makes the difference in unemployment and rapid change from the height of 2021-2022 more apparent, and presents it in an easily digestible manner. In addition, the contrast between the high and low points of the graph can be seen as a way to emotionally emphasize the point of the news piece.
The second graph is much the same as the first one, only adding a second line of comparison in order to track the changes in the length of long-term unemployment. The third graph differs from the two previous ones, showing the percentage of long-term unemployed people (Y axis) compared to all unemployed people over the years (X axis). It, and the graph that follow it both work as a way to demonstrate that the overall numbers of long-term unemployment, both as a part of larger unemployment trends and labor force as a whole are dropping. The authors conclude that the reduction of unemployment is a positive force, both for the people and the economy (Hutchens, 2022). The inclusion of these graphs helps the authors of the news article base their conclusions on credible information, and reach conclusions reflective of real life.
Reference
Hutchens, G. (2022). Long-term unemployment is falling rapidly, and it’s changing lives. ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Web.