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I have no great advice for you Wartrace, except to say "keep your head up".
It has to get better. When? Couldn't tell ya, but something is very, very, very wrong here, especially with employers saying they don't want long-term unemployed people.
Are they serious? Do they really believe that someone with a SECURE job would LEAVE it on a MAYBE position??
You know, a couple of years ago I used to be really active in this forum about topics like this and talk about this phenomenon. I honestly thought that if things kept staying this bad, that by now you'd have a lot of 40ish and up workers who are "permanently unemployable" and desperate and there'd be some sort of "anarchy". Now I'm exaggerating there but what I was thinking you'd have millions who either are just on unemployment or exhausted that and would have "no income" and if something isn't done soon would starve, be homeless, etc. if they're not already and it would be a huge social crisis to be dealt with.
I'm suddenly seeing articles in the NY Times, etc. about the vicious cycle of job discrimination against the long-term unemployed, against people with bad credit reports caused by unemployment, etc. and I wondering where these people are, why there aren't rallies on Washington or calls to boycott these companies or for that matter riots?
When you're hungry and trying to "survive" the last thing you're thinking about doing is "rallying" for anything.
For one, WHERE are you going to get the money to get to this "rally" and two, HOW does this information reach people who do not have daily access to news outlets or a computer?
It's a horrible dichotomy and I believe the unemployed number is closer to 50 million. You need to count the people who exhausted their unemployment, in addition to those folks were deemed INELIGIBLE for whatever reason. Once you're off the rolls the government doesn't track nor care what happens to you.
I do not consider working one or two part-time minimum wage jobs a "decent" salary for a single person with bills to pay, much less a FAMILY.
Our country is sinking into the toilet financially and nothing is going to stop it.
I'm sorry if I can't think "positive". Very difficult.
First of all, I feel for you! It is indeed very tough to be older and out of work. I was let go at age 50 from my legal assistant position of ten years. I updated my computer skills, went to a career center for seminars and coaching, e-mailed applications, cold called in person...to no avail. Even law firms weren't biting. The attorneys (at least in my area) are taking advantage of the economy and don't pay their staff more than a pittance anyway.
Eventually, I lucked out and got a position at a jr./sr. high cafeteria (I had applied for an office substitute position and they noticed I'd had a lot of food service experience). They did the background checks and hired me immediately. It pays about as much as what you'd now get for any clerical position, but the stress is low and we get free lunches, are not required to work evenings or weekends (except for occasional sports banquets), holidays off, Christmas and Easter break, etc. I was worried about being off for three months during the summer (we don't get paid for it), but I had time to put in a huge garden, and I am selling my home grown produce this summer, which replaces a lot of the lost income. I'd much rather be doing what I'm doing now than sitting in an office, really.
Good luck to you. Keep all of your options open, be willing to try something different, and you'll be surprised at what will come along.
Last edited by Mrs. Skeffington; 07-29-2011 at 01:16 AM..
Getting laid off anytime around 50ish is a real bummer, just keep trying to find another job and keep your attitude positive,Washed up maybe a good topic title but lose that defeatist attitude..
Are you not entitled to Unemployment insurance benefits?
Online poker is what I'm sure he meant. Believe it or not there are people who earn big bucks playing online poker all day.
I've made a little money myself this summer playing scratch lotto - about $75.00 so far. I only buy tickets with change I find on my daily 5-mile morning walks. One day, I won $40 after buying only two $1.00 tickets (with money I'd found). It's not making a living, but a nice bit of "pin money". and daily exercise is good for you, especially when you're feeling discouraged.
Online poker is what I'm sure he meant. Believe it or not there are people who earn big bucks playing online poker all day.
Yeah, that's what I meant. I enjoy playing poker with family and friends for nickles and dimes, but never have done the online thing. Although you are correct, some people do quite well playing poker online, of course you usually only hear about the winners or people that do really well and obviously there's a ton more losers that you never hear about. I was watching the WSOP on ESPN recently and they were showing the amounts these "professionals" earned online and it was pretty amazing.
I just looked at the on-line poker sites and most of them have been shut down by the Dept. of "justice". Apparently the big casino corporations bought better/more politicians than the online poker companies did.
I am just going to have to keep carrying on and hope for the best. One bright spot during this week has been in learning the capabilities of the new software tools I have opened up many more business opportunities/ideas I might offer in conjunction with what was planned.
It's a horrible dichotomy and I believe the unemployed number is closer to 50 million. You need to count the people who exhausted their unemployment, in addition to those folks were deemed INELIGIBLE for whatever reason. Once you're off the rolls the government doesn't track nor care what happens to you.
Here are some figures from a census report.
As of July 29, 2011, the United States has a total resident population of 311,853,000. They make up the following numbers of people.
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704) The 0 - 14 year group would not be counted as employable (61,944,831 total people) 15–64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321) Many in the 15 - 64 age group are also not considered as employable even though some of them, the 15 - 18 age group may have jobs. (205,794,364 total people) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2010 est.) Many of these are retired individuals and are not part of the employed figures. (39,472,928 total people)
Total available workers: 245,267,292 if everyone could work. Still that is not the numbers that are used to determine the labor force. The real numbers are for who could work and who are able to work.
In the US the numbers are 153,421,000 individuals in the labor force. Of those 139,334,000 are employed. That gives us the 9.2% unemployment numbers. To get to 50% unemployment rate you would need to have 139,334,000 others that are not working. That just is not the case. Remember that of the 311million + people that we have in the US 61million + are too young to work. That only gives us 250million + to work with and we know that 139million + are working now.
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