Here in the US, we are understanding what big numbers can do in terms of rendering them as mere statistics. It is insane that we don't have big time political discussions, debates, and even protests over the continuing high unemployment levels and the stalled job creation in the private sector. 9.2 percent unemployed has become a statistic. You include the discouraged workers who have simply stopped looking for work, and those who are underemployed, this shoots into north of 20 percent!
In a WSJ op-ed, Princeton's Alan Blinder calls this "a national jobs emergency.:"
sitting by passively is no longer acceptable. In fact, it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment of the American work force. Isn't that unconstitutional?
The unemployed are not mere statistics. These are real people with real, and huge, challenges. Catherine Rempell at Economix presents a letter from one such real person:
Dear Ms. Rampell,
I read with interest your recent column, ‘The Unemployed Somehow Became Invisible’ (July 9).
I am unemployed. I am not a statistic. I am not one of fourteen-plus million. I am me. I have a life. When authors use such big numbers, it’s easy for us unemployed to feel invisible.
I am a community relations professional with 20 years of combined experience in nonprofit, health care and higher education. I’ve had a lot of successes and am respected by colleagues and others with whom I’ve worked and/or collaborated. I’ve had several interviews and been one of two or three finalists. So why hasn’t anyone offered me a job yet?
I spend my day writing and rewriting my resume, customizing cover letters, calling friends and contacts, networking, taking classes, and editing my LinkedIn profile. Job hunting is more than a full-time job. I spend seven days a week several hours a day on my computer, far more time than the average person in a 9 to 5 job. But I have no union to protect me and I don’t earn a paycheck like people with real jobs.
I’ve heard that the longer one is unemployed, the harder it is to secure a new job. “Your skills get soft.” “You lose touch with your connections.” At least that’s what ‘they’ say.
I try to remain philosophical. You know, ‘the right job will come along at the right time.’ I keep my interview suits clean and pressed. I make regular visits to my hairdresser and get the occasional manicure. I am fortunate insofar as I am surrounded by people who care about me and continue to support me throughout this journey.
I remember back to a project that my daughter did. She was in sixth grade and had to ‘spend’ one million dollars. Boy was that hard! With that project I learned that one million is a really big number, too big to truly comprehend. Fourteen-plus million is even bigger.
I don’t want to be one of fourteen-plus million anymore. I want to be thought of by columnists and law makers as me. And I believe that there are fourteen-plus million more just like me. Because of that, we – you – need to think about unemployment one person at a time. Me, Mike, Bruce, Pam, Audrey, Arlene, Bob, and the others. And then I need a job and so do they.
Thank you.
–Tina Friedman
Fourteen million Tinas, and counting :(
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