The Unemployment Myth
Aug 04, 2011
It’s fashionable nowadays to howl about the nine-percent-plus unemployment rate and the so-called “jobless recovery.” But you know what? We’re howling about the wrong problem.
Yes, that official unemployment number is way higher than it ought to be. And yes, the latest Treasury figures probably whitewash the real unemployment picture in this country, which, if you believe this article, is actually up around sixteen percent. (That’s if you use the calculating methods that are standard in Japan, Canada, and Western Europe.) That many out-of-work people is a national disgrace. But I draw a different lesson than most people do about this.
The big lesson I draw from all this is not that the government needs to do something about the employment picture. The big lesson I see in our current situation is that more people need to stop howling, get moving, and get a freaking job.
I realize most people don’t want to hear this, but there are plenty of jobs out there. People have just deluded themselves into believing that the jobs they can get right now are beneath them. And that is where the national disgrace really lies.
Every fast food place needs help, local retailers need help, the cities need help. Unemployed people could go to temporary labor agencies like LaborReady or Manpower and, in all likelihood, be working within 72 hours if they really wanted to. Yes, these are all low-paying jobs, but I think that actually proves my point. A job is a job. The way our country works is, if you want to put food on the table, you either go out and get one of those jobs, or you don’t, and your kids run the risk of going hungry because of that choice you made.
Now, if your lifestyle has to change as a result of the kind of job you took in order to keep your kids fed, guess what? At least you’ve kept your dignity. And the beauty of our country is that your lifestyle can change again, fast and in the other direction, if you work hard and you work smart.
But don’t tell me we’ve got an unemployment crisis in this country, because we don’t!
What we’ve got is a howling crisis, a pickiness crisis, a “that’s beneath me” crisis. You know when we had an actual unemployment crisis in this country? The Great Depression. Now, some people think that was a long time ago, too long ago to matter. Let me tell you something: It still seems like yesterday to the people who lived through it, and enough of them are alive and kicking and ready to talk about what happened for us to get some perspective.
Track some of those people down and ask them whether they think what we’ve got now counts as an “unemployment crisis.” You know what they’ll tell you? They’ll tell you that, during the Great Depression, people took whatever job they could get and held on to it with both hands. If you found something with a paycheck, you took it. Period. I can guarantee you that plenty of “white collar workers” in those years counted themselves extremely lucky to get paid for digging ditches and painting houses, because doing that beat selling apples on the street or waiting in line for free soup. Even selling apples shows initiative we now lack! Today, people go on welfare, or unemployment, and then blame the government for not making the economy generate enough of the kind of jobs they like. Get real!
Before welfare and unemployment checks, you did whatever it took to feed your family and keep your dignity. I hope we get some perspective, and soon, about the unemployment myth we have bought into in this country. I hope we find a way to remind ourselves, both individually and as a nation, that there is absolutely no dignity in turning down honest work.
LINK:
MSN: The real unemployment rate? 16.6%
I realize this reading list may be more work (though one might think of it as a job required for participation in the public discourse of a democracy, besides one should know his or her’s own history if one is to have competency and credibility when citing the past) than most are willing to do, however, one does not have to go deep to discover that even for the few who could find a job, the societal destruction was profound. One might even even suppose self-dignity was the first thing to go.
What is most troubling now is that some believe by the simple virtue of their claim that things do not exist, they do not. And worse, the revisionist history of what worked in the 20′s and 30′s. The simplistic (if there can be one) answer is of course WWII, not the rare job paying starvation wages.
The Great Depression (Cornerstones of Freedom: Second) by Elaine Landau, Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman, Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel, Yonnondio from the Thirties by Tillie Olsen, Photo of Children Coal Miners c1930, Witnesses To The Struggle: Imaging The 1930S California Labor Movement by Anne Loftis, The Five Dollar Day: Labor Management and Social Control in the Ford Motor Company, 1908-1921 (SUNY Series in American Social History) by Stephen Meyer.
hmm… i’ve applied to and/or taken SVTs for over 40 jobs in the last month. i’ve been on a dozen interviews. i have 25+ years work experience. i have am MBA and a BA. you know what? each position went to either an internal advance OR i was told i had too much experience/too much education/too much grey hair. oh yeah. i live in florida and i’m not bilingual. so i’m not qualified to work at mcdonalds. my most recent position. online tax and techical support, they were able to hire 200 EAs CPAs and PTINs in a snap because we are all desperate to work. my friend just got a job, beat out 77 candidates because he speaks french. you have openings jordan? see how many qualified applicants you get and then tell me there isn’t an unemployment problem.
btw, i do a lot of pro bono work: any friend or client who is in bankruptcy/foreclosure or has been unemployed for more than a year, i comp them. not good for my bottom line but i feel it is the moral thing to do. it scares me. i don’t have to read it in the paper because i get to see people’s bank accounts and their W2s and their 1099Cs and i get to watch them cry. get off your pedestal and talk to the people on the street.
Explain why a person who graduated from a well respected college and has a masters degree has to resort to go-go dancing at a south beach night club to survive the overbearing costs and expenses to even keep their neck above water? How is this not a sign of a job crisis occurring right infront of us?
I don’t think the problem is that people are howling at the available jobs that are currently out there, or lack of, but instead it’s the ratio of open positions to people applying for them are so askew. You have people who are outnumbered to pick up ANY job that still need to find a second or third one to break even as to what their salary would be in the field they went to school for.
Yet another over-simplistic worldview. Please see: http://bit.ly/pcTAF3
Unemployement in the US rose sharply in 2009 and has rumbled along at a high rate, but not increased as sharply since
The %age unemployed is the number of individuals as percentage of the population at any given time.
What that means is that the people unemployed now aren’t neccesarily the people who were unemployed last month, the white collar worker eventually finds another white collar job without having to flip burgers, but when he does, in the current climate some other white collar worker is made redundant when his company folds.
The root of the problem is that only companies who sell goods and services that have the level of value people are willing to pay US rates for will survive. Globalisation means that manufacturing and relatively de-skilled jobs are going to china and other low cost industries. Western economies have to then move higher up the value chain of services ARM holdings in the UK is a great example of this (their chip designs are used in pretty much every mobile phone on the planet)
The answer to the unemployment crisis is not to force everyone to take whatever job there is to weather the storm, or for the few work their way up the ladder. It’s about training and education for the workforce to make them fit better the businesses that will succeed in spite of a recession. Making welfare dependent on in-business training would be a far better way to help in the long term.
Jordan,
I always respect your opinion, even when I do not agree. I also respect you as a person (I have had the pleasure of speaking with you in the past). There are parts of this post I agree with and parts I do not agree with. It is fair to say that a large part of the unemployed workforce is unwilling to take a labor job, work in a farm field, etc. That being said, I also agree with comment #2 regarding being told you have too much experience. When I was looking for a job after graduating school I was often told this. Even your own firm gave me the line about too much experience. Even though I said I was willing to come in at a lower level to prove my mettle in retail, my request was ignored. So my question back to you, with all due respect, how is Zimmerman going to help people willing to take lesser position obtain employment? I am fortunate to be employed, but the concern remains for those I know who are still seeking employment. Additionally, our industry is one that, for the most part, requires experience to excel. I can’t imagine you would want to lose good advertising professionals to LaborReady and Manpower.
It is thinking and rationalizations such as yours that hurt and stigmatize the unemployed. First and foremost, fast-food restaurants and lower-end chains (i.e. Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc.) are very cautious about hiring seasoned professionals who they feel will only use the job temporarily and will then move on. More importantly, if you simply READ the news, you will find that scores of companies are telling the unemployed NOT TO APPLY. That’s the companies that actually state their position. I’m positive there are those who don’t and simply dump your resume in the trash. I have a job now, thankfully, but I was unemployed for almost 2 years. I possess a B.A. and am currently seeking a Masters. My work history is solid; yet, I still caught hell finding a position. You mention Labor Ready and other temp agencies but you failed to mention the line you will be behind to get in there. Mexicans and other minorities have those companies on lock-down. To cut this short, it’s obvious you’re speaking from an uninformed and biased state of mind. Let’s hope you are never out of a job and down to your last dollar. Better yet, let’s hope you don’t have to run into someone like yourself while doing so.
Dear Anonymous (blue96hens@yahoo.com):
I’m happy to hear that you are gainfully employed. At Zimmerman we always try to fit the person with the right education, skill-set, and attitude with the right position. Sometimes it doesn’t work. Sometimes we’re not the right place for the person. If you were met with “sorry you have too much experience” from our folks the option I can offer you is to send me your resume, jordanzimmerman@gmail.com and I am happy to review it myself and speak to you about your current goals. This situation has happened in the past and we have taken another look at the candidate, hired them and they have gone on to have very promising careers at the agency. Your note to me alone is the stuff we’re looking for. Don’t take “no” for an answer. Send me the resume and we’ll talk soon.
I’m happy to hear that you are gainfully employed. At Zimmerman we always try to fit the person with the right education, skill-set, and attitude with the right position. Sometimes it doesn’t work. Sometimes we’re not the right place for the person. If you were met with “sorry you have too much experience” from our folks the option I can offer you is to send me your resume, jordanzimmerman@gmail.com and I am happy to review it myself and speak to you about your current goals. This situation has happened in the past and we have taken another look at the candidate, hired them and they have gone on to have very promising careers at the agency. Your note to me alone is the stuff we’re looking for. Don’t take “no” for an answer. Send me the resume and we’ll talk soon.
Jordan,
As you know,,,,I am your perfect example! I went from ” Luxury Builder ” to driving a truck. I believe you called me a survivor . I am doing what I have to do . Every day I have a new dream and I look to make my dreams a reality. Your Friend, Paul
AGREED. There are too many people that the jobs that are in need of help are less than there 0 dollar income. Any fast food, CVS, Wal-Mart, supermarket, mail room, etc. offers more opportunity than any couch… and most likely pays more.
Well said JZ. There are many opportunities for employment available, but they’re considered to be “beneath” certain standards. Unfortunately, pride matters more than providing a shelter and food on the table. People speak of being on unemployment so casually as if it is something to be proud of. Very disturbing.
I completely agree! I think it’s ridiculous how so many people will whine and cry about being unemployed when there ARE jobs out there, but they won’t take anything unless it’s something BETTER than what they had before! How about you take something “beneath” you and try a little something called HARD WORK and work your way back up, buddy! Or how about this idea – start your own business instead of relying on someone else to pay you!
Right now I personally know of at least 3 people (who are close to me) that are able to work, but would rather sit around and collect food stamps and (or) unemployment, or worse than this, wait it out for 2 years in hopes of getting on some type of disability One of these people is even giving false info to obtain more food stamp money. You might say, simple, turn them in. Sorry I can’t do that, because then their children won’t eat. This is not the life style that I would choose or want for my family, but if it’s happening this close to me, I’m inclined to believe it’s happening too close to everyone else. It’s just too plain simple to stay at home and collect or get food stamps. Too many people are taking advantage of the economy being on a downward spiral. Sure there are people in real need, but those who aren’t are pulling down everyone else! As for people who claim that they can not get a job because they are over qualified, take some things that make you appear this way out of your resume! You’ve most likely padded your resume when you needed it to look better, taking some things out is less deceitful. As for the long lines of people applying for the same job, someone needs to be in the front of the line, someone needs to get hired, why can’t it be you? Positive thinking here! Good point Jordan, re submit your application if you’ve been overlooked once, things change. All it may take is a different interviewer and like magic, you’re in! Above all, stay positive and be CREATIVE to stand out!