“One in five American men aged 25 to 54 are unemployed”, announced Larry Summers at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He went on to put our whole economic disaster into perspective when he said that the United States is experiencing a “statistical recovery and a human recession”.
Unemployed? Under-employed? You are not alone. Is help on the way? I’m not so sure.
I’ve seen economic devastation. I lived and worked in Youngstown, Ohio in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The steel mills closed. Downtown Youngstown was gutted. But no matter how bad it got, we all felt that neither Youngstown nor its inhabitants were doomed to failure. There was no reason to give up.
Our current economic downturn feels different.
I keep eleven names in my appointment book. This list grows daily. These are the names of people who are unemployed. These are not unskilled workers. They are not semi-skilled. They are professionals, people who have worked in their fields for twenty- plus years. Office managers. Computer specialists. An attorney. Make that twelve. I just got off the phone with a pharmacist. One guy was a territorial sales rep for the same company for over twenty-five years. These people are experienced and highly qualified. They are dying to work. They are willing to settle for less. They just want a job. They want to go back to work.
Last week I talked with a former business owner who is hoping to land a job as a $15 an hour secretary / receptionist. The combination of the housing bust and the internet killed her industry. She has no complaints. There isn’t a drop of self-pity. She simply needs a job.
I connected one of my computer specialists to a possible employer on Friday. Can I scratch him off my list? Not yet.
Many of us are defined, in part, by what we do for a living. I certainly am. Unemployed, these friends and clients are adrift. It’s not just the money, though that is certainly important. Their jobs are how they see themselves and how they contribute to the general good.
We can’t wait for Washington. We can’t wait for Columbus. How about You? Can you help someone land a job?
Great post, Dave. I know lots of people in this situation too and I’ve tried to find spots for them where I work.
But the situation is very grim. Too many people chasing after the same jobs. I’m considering a graduate degree. I’m hoping it will open more doors, but who knows? There are fewer doors.
I hate to shop, but last Sunday since it was so cold I felt like knocking around some stores just to look at pretty things for the house. So many stores like that are closing. There are fewer places to shop.
I was just thinking about Dennis Kucinich’s plan to lower the retirement age. Interesting, isn’t it? This is completely the opposite of the trend to keep raising the retirement age…How would we pay for this if we couldn’t pay for it before?
And while a person might be relieved to have some money coming in with early retirement, it doesn’t solve the problem of being put out to pasture before you are ready.
I think workers would be well-advised to always consider buffing up their entrepreneurial skills while they are working for someone else. That way they’d be ready with a business plan in their hip pocket when one door closes.