There is a huge impact on society as the most educated and productive age cohort shrinks in size. The economy grows more slowly and may even shrink. One South African company saw these constraints for growth within its regional market and adapted by moving into Eastern European markets. But individual families do not have that option. Namposa Nampanya Serpell documented the impact of death of the breadwinner on the family in Zambia.
Housing often is company owned and tied to the job.
Children are withdrawn from school because the family can no longer afford the fees and the older children may be required to either work or take care of their younger siblings. Caloric intake declines. These familial retrenchments reinforce a cycle of poverty. It was the first such modeling commissioned by a national government and was based upon existing data. The projected outcome in Botswana is because diamond extraction constitutes a large portion of the national economy, and it uses few workers.