More job searchers just quit looking

USA TODAY ^ | 4/7/2003 | Barbara Hagenbaugh

[Willie Green]

WASHINGTON — Frustrated workers are calling it quits.

The number of working-age Americans who dropped out of the labor force — meaning they aren't working and gave up on finding work — rose for the sixth straight month in March, further proof the labor market is stagnant at best.

[annyokie]

No sh*t, I got laid off in January and there is nothing out there.

[vannrox]

The job market for technical professionals is very bad. Anyone who has a job should count their blessings.

[B-Chan]

"Gave up on finding work"? What the heck does that mean? I dunno about New York or other high-welfare states, but here in Texas the idea of giving up on finding work means living in your mom's basement, on your friend's couch, or beneath the overpass.

I can understand a teenager giving up on finding work, but an adult? In my world, if you give up on finding work, they come and take your car, your stuff, and eventually throw you out in the street.

I am a professional artist. During the last recession, however, I ended up driving a truck for minimum wage. Why? Because I had no choice, that's why!

How in the world can a grown man with bills to pay just "give up" on finding work?

[AM2000]

They only give up until the unemployment checks stop coming in. IOW they don't really "give up," they just get frustrated and decide to take a break.

[AntiGuv]

"Gave up on finding work"? What the heck does that mean?

It means that when the Household Employment Survey people call and ask you (after finding out you're unemployed), whether you looked for work during this past week, you say no. That's how the statistic is compiled...

In reality, it's just another aspect of duplicitous 'accounting' practices to make our unemployment rate look a lot lower than it really is. The real unemployment rate is up between 9% to 11% or so, I'd guess.

[AntiGuv]

Actually, in most states those receiving unemployment checks would not fall under this statistic, because they're required to submit an application or two every week. Therefore, they automatically don't fall under the category of 'not looking' because those are workers who did not submit any applications or send off any resumes.

[AntiGuv]

How in the world can a grown man with bills to pay just "give up" on finding work?

Also, to follow up on this, most all of those who end up in the 'not looking' category are married with a working spouse, or indeed living with blood relatives.

[AntiGuv]

Just one other clarification, in case that issue comes up. This 'discouraged worker' statistic does not include housewives, stay-at-home dads, etc because those fall under the category of 'would not work if employment available' or however that question gets worded.

[gcruse]

How in the world can a grown man with bills to pay just "give up" on finding work?

I don't know about the thirty-somethings, but I'm confronted with early retirement, like it or not.
It's like they are saying.  There is nothing out there.

[saluki_in_ohio]

No sh*t, I got laid off in January and there is nothing out there

I got laid off in January too. I have applied for hundreds of jobs and I have had only one job interview for an engineering job where 2000 people applied for. I didn't get the job.

Two years ago, I could have applied for 50 jobs and interviewed with five or six potential employers.

Every headhunter and HR person I have talked to has said employers need engineers very badly, but are not hiring because of the uncertainty in the economy as a result of the war.

[philetus]

Don't feel bad. As more labor is exported to china, as more jobs are exported to India, as more companies move out of the country, you will have more and more company.

[maxwell]

The job market for technical professionals is very bad.

Just got an interview and two call-backs after months of sending out resumes to ever'body and his brother-in-law-- what kind of worker is NOT having trouble finding employment these days?

[jrushing]

The number of working-age Americans who dropped out of the labor force — meaning they aren't working and gave up on finding work — rose for the sixth straight month in March.
How do you drop out of the labor force? I have worked over 30 years & never could "drop out".

Frustrated workers are calling it quits. People 16 and older who are looking for work — is at its lowest in nearly a decade, the Labor Department said Friday. A fifth of the 8.4 million people who are unemployed have been out of work 27 weeks or longer.

This could mean that they aren't seeking work or they choose welfare. Many people 16 & older do not want to work. I can't "call it quits". I have a house note to pay!

[annyokie]

Who needs your sympathy? I have eight years of college and am 44 years old with 20 years of experience, I really don't need your advice.

By the by, my father was a tradesman, so there is no disrespect meant.

[StolarStorm]

A low IQ guy like you should be just fine in the general labor pool. Good for you!

[GailA]

Hubby has his first interview in months, after sending out tons of resumes..he's hitting the Gray Ceiling....29 years as a tech in 2 way radio. Will interview for a TV station tomorrow.

[maxwell]

I'm sorry, no Sympathy here. Get into the trades, its not cool to be a plumber or electrican, but work abounds. I'm in the Air Conditioning bizz. I'm not paid alot, but I can go to any town and find employment. You geeks out there that can't find work just don't want to get you hands dirty. Tough S...T! Get to work. Its there. Go to any construction site, ask for labor work. You will get it. You folks are just Pussy's!!!! Lee308

Well you got you a point there, Lee. I'd be one of the most ridiculously overqualified construction workers in history though. "Overqualified" ain't even the right word. Lemme put it this way-- construction work and what-I'm-qualified-to-do ain't even in the same coordinate system...

[Billy_bob_bob]

Hello. I'm retired from 23 years in hi-tech, and I'm highly interested in learning about HVAC or commercial refrigeration. My eventual goal is to purchase a business supplying one of these services. Do you have any suggestions for how to go about learning about these trades, or how to "get your foot in the door" when you are a middle-aged male?

[maxwell]

I can't "call it quits". I have a house note to pay!

Yep-- school loans and credit cards for me... Sorta like to get 'em paid off before I retire, or go out in a blaze o' glory on a Harley...

[Revolting cat!]

Someone once posted an official gubmint explanation of how the unemployment stats are compiled. Guess what? It's all Alice in the Wonderland stuff. The sincere beyond belief explanation had it that counting all unemployed would be physically impossible, so the gubmint samples the populace every week, by phone, or who knows how, but in the end, unless you are a staunch believer in the notion that a 1000 household sample can have any relationship to reality, the unemployment figures you see in the papers are total fantasy!

[gcruse]

As more labor is exported to china...

I spent a career in professional and
amateur photofinishing.  This area is
not affected by exports.  Sorry,
but there are more problems than free
trade at work here.

[annyokie]

No lie. Many of us cannot qualify for an interview. That college thang is a problem.

It's not that we don't want to work.

[FreedomCalls]

There is nothing out there.

Nonsense.

There are over 54,000 jobs listed here alone. Most of them are IT related.

There are plenty of good jobs listed here as well.

< /sarcasm >

[AntiGuv]

You are absolutely spot on with your comments. I tried to insinuate the same with my citation of the Household Survey. Glad someone picked up on that!

[gcruse]

Well, around Amarillo, health care professionals can just about write their own tickets. And thanks to the administration's billions in agriwelfare, that area is holding up pretty good.
Education and law enforcement seem to always have want ads, too.

[annyokie]

True! Full-time students are considered Full-Time employees.

[AD from SpringBay]

...construction work and what-I'm-qualified-to-do ain't even in the same coordinate system...

Well la tee da. Let me put it this way, everybody gets hungry.

[matthew_the_brain]

The world owes no one a living...if the industry of field you specialize in is depressed, move on to a greener pasture......this is nothing but whiners whining to whiners.

[jrushing]

"Gave up on finding work"? Don't feel bad. As more labor is exported to china, as more jobs are exported to India, as more companies move out of the country, you will have more and more company.

You are wrong, We have the greatest economy & country in the World. We may have hard times but not like the 3rd world countries. Come on guys, This is America!. You have to adapt, go to school, learn new jobs, create new businesses. This is the greatest country in the World. We are the one's who make it great. We drive the World's economy. If we aren't working, the poor guys in china & India don't stand a chance. We keep them fed. They will starve without us. Stand up!! Look up!! We are not lost. We are A-M-E-R-I-C-A!!

[spodefly]

If they can 'just quit looking', they must not have needed a job in the first place. If I didn't have a job (and subsequently quit looking for one) after about 4 months I would be living in a box under a bridge.

[StolarStorm]

One word: H1-B. A lot of these people would be working if the government didn't flood the market with slave labor from India. Thankfully, I'm still employed... but I feel for those out there whose jobs have been taken by anti-American slaves.

[arasina]

Don't I know it too! Try being a 51-year-old female who was in middle management and looking for a job. "Overqualified" "You won't stay long at this rate of pay" "Do you speak Spanish?" I've been selling on eBay to keep my standard of living and that's terribly slow too.

Yes, I accepted unemployment checks. First time in my life I've ever "taken" from the government except for an FHA loan on a house which was later converted to a conventional loan. I watched my investments dwindle until I put a hold on them. It's hard to find even temporary work these days, so now I'm dipping into my savings to pay the bills and not spending on anything except necessities.

I'm hopeful that when the war is truly over that things will get better. And I hope President Bush is as good about reducing unemployment and stimulating the sluggish economy as he is at being Commander in Chief! He DOES need to pay attention or the RATS will eat him alive over domestic issues.

[gcruse]

Yup. Unemployment numbers are based on surveys. Abe Abelson, the sharpest cookie in Barron's box, came out a decade ago revealing what manipulated boguses these numbers are and said any CFO who based forecasts and spending on government numbers is out of his mind.

[Lee308]

I realize I'm not educated beyound my means, but I make $50K a year with no kids, and I'm never unemployed. No disrespect. I see my post was pulled, I guess I used some colorful labor type language, my apologies. I meant wimps. not P---ys. Lee308 PS, My Portfolio is doing well :-)

[ARCADIA]

Get into the trades, its not cool to be a plumber or electrican, but work abounds. I'm in the Air Conditioning bizz. I'm not paid alot, but I can go to any town and find employment.

You are joking right? Most of the trades require extensive hands on training and years of work experience, before you qualify for any kind of license. That is fine if 18, but it is a no go for adults. BTW, housing starts are on their way down, contractor insurance rates are on their way up, and the market isn't quite as hot and dandy as you paint it. Just because someone with decades of experience can find a living, doesn't mean that the market is open to career changers.

[annyokie]

Oh, bullshit! Why did I spend $60,000 to tend bar or wait tables?

[maxwell]

Well la tee da. Let me put it this way, everybody gets hungry.

Ph.D. in physics?

It ain't that simple.

It would be an injustice to myself, to society and to my colleagues to NOT work in the field that I've invested the last, oh, eight or so years training in. Not to mention all the time and money that's been invested in me by other agents.

I should at least be one of those dudes running around with a clip board and a pocket protector...

I'm not tryin' to pull the arrogance thing on ya; I'm just stating fact. And yeah, if 30's-style depression came upon us and there were literally no market whatsoever for my skills, sure I'd be racing you for the next available shovel.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

There are over 54,000 jobs listed here alone. Most of them are IT related.

Nice link. I'm in IT and was replaced last week by 3 Indians from Satyan which shows up on that page as "a great place to work". As a matter of fact I trained them last month to replace me. Looking for any IT work now. Yeah I know I'm screwed. Maybe I'll be a fry king in a month. growl!

[Joe Hadenuf]

The economy is in the tank......

[gcruse]

I hear you. I never in my life accepted unemployment compensation. But this time, I have taken the full load. Benefits expired this week after sending out tons of resumes with maybe two replies. I'm going to miss that weekly check, but being discriminated against for age soothes my feelings of guilt. I go out with middle finger held high!!! :)

[StolarStorm]

You and ALL of your fellow should have gotton together and refused to train you replacements. IT folks will continue to get screwed until the work together. We are war right now with slave traders.

[Joe Hadenuf]

One word: H1-B. A lot of these people would be working if the government didn't flood the market with slave labor from India.

You bet, and compound that with hundreds of thousands of illegals that continue to flood into America.......It's an economic time bomb.......

[maxwell]

Just because someone with decades of experience can find a living, doesn't mean that the market is open to career changers.

I'm right there with ya, dude. I think you meant that reply for Lee308; I sensed that his contribution to the conversation wasn't gonna stick around long (NO it was not I that tattled, Lee) so I saved it fer posterity, nyuk nyuk nyuk...

[annyokie]

I am pleased for you. I worked my ass off in college waiting tables, tending bar and, mainly, selling cars for ten years; all that, time raising three kids. I don't want to hear about what a slacker I am.

[jrushing]

"count your blessings."

Count your blessings can have more to do with at state of mind than religion. A pessimistic person will count his curses. (Keep thoughts of all negative attributes)
An optimistic person will count his blessings. (Keep thinking of all positive attributes) Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.
It can't hurt.