Having recently found myself in the same boat, seeing this family man resort to begging made me feel like I’d run into a brick wall of reality.
America—the land of the free where prosperity overflowed abundantly—was the promise many
immigrants had their hearts and hopes set on when they moved to the United States throughout our country’s 235 year history. America has always been a land of opportunity and an escape from the religious, financial, and political horrors around the world.
But where do we as Americans escape to when our country is imploding before our eyes? Democracy is an ideal form of government if it works the way it’s supposed to. However, our two primary political parties are too busy treating Washington like a pre-school playground, playing tug-of-war with the shiny “new” toy (our votes) instead of getting work done to help not only their constituents but the country as a whole.
Currently, 13.9 million Americans are without work. That’s 9.1 % of the total workforce. Think about that. Nearly 10% of American workers are unemployed. With all of the talk about financial deficits and raising the country’s ridiculous debt ceiling, 9.1% of Americans are also relying on jobless benefits to make ends meet while they search for jobs. This only adds to the country’s financial burden, which will likely lead to increases in taxes and decreases in publicly funded programs—two things which the unemployed can’t afford. It’s a vicious cycle.
I’m not a lobbyist or an active political mover-and-shaker, but right now, a particular cause has sucked me into it. Stalking websites and personal connections in the hunt for a job, the realities of unemployment are terrifying. On the surface, job postings make it seem like opportunities in my field are prevalent, but there are so many factors impacting this that it’s impossible not to feel disheartened and hopeless.
Many companies post jobs online and in newspapers to fulfill HR and government requirements. Often, these companies hire from within, posting jobs internally before releasing the information to the public. So, unless you already work for said company or know someone who can get your foot in the door, you’re pretty much out of luck.
The most illogical and unconscionable revelation I have come across is that some companies apparently don’t want to hire the unemployed. Perhaps they feel that we are unemployed because we are lazy, underperforming, unfriendly employees who couldn’t make the cut with our previous employers. The reality is that the recession over the past three years has caused countless companies to make drastic cuts and streamline their needs and expenses to boost their bottom line. While some of the unemployed undoubtedly fall into the category of sub-par performers, the result of the tough economic outlook impacting businesses is that thousands upon thousands of decent, hardworking Americans, who enjoyed and excelled at their jobs, are jobless through no fault of their own. We are/were top performers, but our companies had to make tough choices in wanting to sink or swim. We do NOT want to sit on our couches, watch TV and collect unemployment checks. We want to work. We want to do exceptional work. We want to continue our career paths. We want to add value to our future employers’ strategic growth plans. We just need to be given a chance to prove ourselves.
I keep trying to focus on the positives. My situation could be worse—a lot worse—but I want out of the unemployed circus. As someone who prides herself on high-quality results and thrives on hard, honest work, I don’t want to be a part of the growing unemployed masses. So, the search for new opportunities goes on…
Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
TIME U.S.
Image:
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA - c. Andrea Kohalmi
