It means self-doubt, anger, and depression. It means the threatened loss of all you worked so hard to earn. With such potentially dire disruptions staring them in the eyes, it is little wonder that most individuals abhor the prospect of joblessness. In a free society, such adverse conditions provide powerful motivation to seek out other employment as quickly as possible. Of course, politicians are quite vocal in their opposition to unemployment, as well.
Greater unemployment leads to an angry electorate and a threat to the office holder's reelection.
It leads to greater demands on governmental services such as unemployment checks, food stamps, and other forms of welfare at the very time that revenue from taxes dwindles due to fewer workers collecting paychecks. This shortfall of funds leads to diminished opportunities for politicians to create new governmental programs to expand their power, influence, and control. Such is the situation most people hear reported in the media. In the long run, of course, they cannot succeed. Security bought at the price of liberty leads in the end to no security, at all.