ABSTRACT
During the years 1890-1905 the problem of unemployment appeared under five different guises within the city of Glasgow. In the first place there were periodic crises of confidence, associated with the downswing of the trade cycle, which invariably produced a high level of unemployment in those industries – heavy engineering, shipbuilding and iron and steel – whose fortunes determined both the prosperity of the local economy and the buoyancy of the demand for skilled male labour on Clydeside generally. In addition to this type of unemployment, secondly there was also a well defined, and easily discernible, seasonal pattern of working in certain of the city's trades. Thirdly, there existed a pervasive underemployment which was one of the hallmarks of the market for casual labour. Fourthly, unemployment could be the social sequel to structural and technical changes within industry. Fifthly, unemployment could be the direct consequence of the personal deficiencies of the individual.
