Lesson Plan

• Define structural unemployment and differentiate it from frictional and cyclical unemployment.
• Identify at least five causes of structural unemployment.
• Explain how education, training and regional development policies address structural unemployment.
• Analyse a labour‑market diagram to illustrate the impact of technological change on unemployment.
• Apply the unemployment‑rate formula to calculate rates from given data.

• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• PowerPoint slides summarising key points
• Handout with labour‑market shift diagram
• Worksheets with unemployment‑rate calculations
• Short video clip on automation impacts
• Sticky notes for group brainstorming

Begin with a quick poll: “What jobs do you think might disappear in the next decade?” Use responses to highlight skill mismatches. Review the previous lesson on frictional unemployment, then state that today students will explore the longer‑term, structural side of joblessness. Success criteria: students will be able to define structural unemployment, list its causes, and suggest appropriate policy responses.

1. Do‑now (5’) – Calculate the unemployment rate from a simple data set on the worksheet.
2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Define structural unemployment and present its five main causes using slides.
3. Diagram analysis (8’) – Show the labour‑market shift diagram; students label the curves and discuss the effect of technological change in pairs.
4. Group activity (12’) – Teams create a brief policy proposal (training, relocation, etc.) for one cause; ideas recorded on sticky notes.
5. Whole‑class debrief (8’) – Groups share proposals; teacher links them to the policy measures listed in the notes.
6. Exit quiz (5’) – Each student writes a one‑sentence definition of structural unemployment and one policy suggestion on an exit ticket.

Recap the definition, main causes, and policy responses for structural unemployment. Collect exit tickets to gauge understanding and address any lingering misconceptions. Assign homework: students research a local industry undergoing change and write a short paragraph proposing a realistic training solution.