Posted on 07/30/2010 6:04:59 AM PDT by Daniel T. Zanoza
EDITOR’S NOTE: RFFM received this letter in response to a column titled “Unemployment Insurance: Not An Entitlement, But Obama Acts As If It Is” [http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2010/07/unemployment-insurance-not-an-entitlement-but-obama-acts-as-if-it-is.html]. It is a sad, but telling description of the jobs market in America today. The author has no political agenda. Mrs. Smithson simply describes what those who are currently on the unemployment rolls are experiencing in their attempt to earn a living.
Letter to the Editor by MARY SMITHSON
I just read your article. I have been unemployed since 2008, and I have never refused a job. I worked for a mortgage company. Since that is no longer an option, I've had to look for jobs for which I am over qualified. I don't mind that at all I just want to work. I have gone to job fair after job fair, I have registered with my local Workforce Center, I have setup job alerts at tons of website's, I have let everyone I know and everyone I meet know that I am looking for a job, and followed every lead.
At first employers were fine with job experience, however, they began asking for an associates degree for a receptionist position at $8 to $10 an hour and then a 2-4 year degree within the industry that you are applying. And more recently, they are asking that you have experience using their company specific software as well as an associates or bachelors degree in the specific industry. Again, I don't mind working for less.
Now I don't mind the pay cut or starting at the bottom, but it is becoming more impossible to find a job. It is not because I couldn't negotiate my wants, I just want a job. I am willing to take whatever I can get.
Employers are asking for more because they can, because they receive hundreds of desperate applicants for each job they post. I understand why there doing it, we all enjoy getting more bang for our buck. Unfortunately, I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am thankful for unemployment extensions. Yes, those of us on unemployment would all rather have a job, but we the reality is we don't.
I have been laid off 3 times and quit a job once in my career, companies fail, but I have never been out of work this long in my life. I always worked temp until the next job came along. Not even temp agencies are hiring.
I get tired of listening to the news because they talk about where were at, I know where were are, I would like to hear solutions, I want to hear about how we can get out of this mess.
Thank you for listening,
Mary Smithson
Before she gets any sympathy from me, I want to know if she voted for the Rat snake currently in the WH.
EMPLOYABLE is a word everyone in America ought to retire.
Understand, this is the new normal. “Employable”??? Please, it's not that kind of a society anymore.
MEDIOCRITY is king!!!
Don't believe me? Just look at what America produces and the kind and level of government interference in the economy to the extent that American production of EVEN shoddy and useless widgets is miraculous.
It ain't your father's workplace! (It's not YOURS either, if you are qualified and experienced!) Get used to it.
Pick fruit in California. Minimum wage plus a $25 dollar bonus at the end of the day (recent CNN story). Wages should be bid up once only documented workers can do this job.
I don’t doubt that there are a minority of people out there who are looking for jobs—any jobs—and can’t find them but that is the exception to the rule. There is not some huge pool of “employable” people who can’t find any job.
The only people I know who are long-term unemployed are people who refuse to look for jobs that they find “beneath” them and would rather take the unemployment check than make $8 or $10 per hour in a job that wouldn’t give them much more than unemployment does. That is the problem with unemployment extensions. They keep this class of people sitting on their arses rather than taking “any” job.
It took me 8 months to find one and I got lucky. My former employer closed its doors in December 2008 and there are several people still out. Our local economy isn’t even that bad compared to other areas. I fully believe that there are a ton of people out there that want to work but can’t find it. There are other possible personal factors that can play into the issue. I am tied to a mortgage so I was unable to consider relocation. I have an infant son and my wife works, so the cost of decent child care, combined with a large fixed mortgage payment, played a factor in what kind of salary I was able to accept to sustain my personal balance sheet in the long run.
You also have to think about the number of people that are underemployed. They are scraping by, but are also applying to jobs and competing with the unemployed for the decent ones out there. I bet the percentage of people that hit up the job boards everyday is closer to 30%.
I think the number of unemployed people that want to work or people working that are stuck between a rock and a hard place, is much bigger than you think. Hence, Zero’s numbers continue to plummet.
Based on my reading of the article, Ms. Smithson does not have an Associates Degree. I would not consider her “highly employable”.
What is posted here as a “letter to the editor” by Mary Smithson was originally a personal e-mail sent to me in response to an RFFM.org article I wrote. I asked Mrs. Smithson if I could post it as a letter to the editor and she was kind enough to agree. Like your comments, this letter (e-mail) is not a piece of literary perfection and it was not meant to be, so I suggest you cut this woman some slack. There are those in America who are desperately looking for work. I’m sure there are some people who would rather receive a government stipend for doing nothing, but it appears Smithson isn’t one of them.
I find it interesting when people like yourself take time to criticize others, but do little themselves to present information for the public good. Subsequently, at least Smithson’s letter (e-mail) had value, in contrast to your comment to the FR blog which offered nothing more to the discussion on unemployment, the lack of jobs, etc., etc.
The point is that the woman made the claim of being “overqualified.” From the way she writes it's hard to imagine how should could possibly be “overqualified” for any job.
How the hell do you know how much I do, or don't do “for the public good”? You know nothing about me, you arrogant ass.
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