Whose Unemployed?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Whose Unemployed?
26
Wed, 02-11-2004 - 12:42pm
The highly educated are the latest victims of the weak recovery

The weak recovery has led to dramatic increases in long-term unemployment—workers searching for jobs who remain unemployed for 27 or more weeks. Increasingly, it is the most highly educated Americans who are victims of the rise in long-term unemployment.

The figure below shows the percentage increases in long-term unemployment from 2000 to 2003 among people of different education levels. Overall unemployment also increased over the same period, rising from 5.7 million in 2000 to 8.8 million in 2003. The annual level of long-term unemployment was 649,119 in 2000; by 2003, this number had risen to 1.9 million.

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Both the increase in overall unemployment and the increase in the number of long-term unemployed have differed by education level. Total unemployment has increased 40%, 74%, and 95%, respectively, for workers with a high school degree or less, some college education, and a bachelor's degree or more. But long-term unemployment has increased at much greater rates—156%, 259%, and 299% for each educational group, respectively.

In all recessions, the least educated have suffered disproportionately. However, the current recession and weak recovery are unique in the extent to which workers with substantial education are also economic victims.

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-29-2004
Thu, 02-12-2004 - 11:12am
O.K. how about we nix all tax cuts and raise taxes on the wealthiest and maybe big corporations too... They will invest elsewhere to avoid the taxes and take money out of the system. Production will suffer b/c of the taxes and this will drive prices up. Then unemployment will go way up and the govt. can just take care of everybody through welfare and social programs. (MORE big govt.)


Or, we'll just end the War on Terror and hope to God all of these terrorist groups will just change their minds about us.

What is your solution?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Thu, 02-12-2004 - 12:28pm
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Correct, I educated myself out of a job. Education is not the panacea it used to be, exemplified by the first article in this thread. Also why Bush's push for retraining is not so plausible--retrain for what? This is what the people were told when manufacturing jobs were going overseas; retrain for computer work--now those jobs are taking flight. Only jobs I can think of, at the present time are in health care.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 02-12-2004 - 1:21pm
>> Only jobs I can think of, at the present time are in health care.

That sector does seem to be growing.... I guess that is where all the exhorbitant insurance premiums are going *wink*.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-08-2004
Thu, 02-12-2004 - 6:05pm
Thank you, you just said what I have been thinking forever. People do think those jobs are beneath them. It is far easier to sit around and collect a check from the govt every month then it is to do some old fashioned hard work.

ps-love your screen name!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 12:09pm
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Bet you can intuit my response. *Grin*

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 6:32pm

It looks as though companies are making people work longer hours now, for the same money.....tricky isn't it.


That's been going on for some time now...and most large companies/corporations don't even deny that they do it.


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 6:49pm
That sector does seem to be growing.... I guess that is where all the exhorbitant insurance premiums are going *wink*.





Not exactly...because those doctors/clinics/hospitals are paying exhorbitant insurance premiums on their own.


iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 7:50pm
How easy it must be to give such advice. Are you looking for a job? I was in August and I looked and looked. I am educated and have an excellent work history. I finally settled on a lesser paying position. It is not as easy as you think. Oh by the way how exhausting it must be to defend this administration so much.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 11:43pm
I have a friend who has had to turn down lower paying jobs because the salary would pretty much be a wash compared to the cost of day care for his child if he wasn't home during the day to care for her. He even had to turn down jobs that paid fairly well, because they didn't offer health insurance, and if he took the job, his wife would have to quit to look after the baby and they would loose the coverage provided by her job.

I should add that he wasn't collecting unemployment because the company found a clever way to fire him over a medical condition and he doesn't have the money to sue them over it. They are, however, collecting WIC, which ensures that this hard working family gets dirty looks on the supermarket checkout aisle from more "upstanding" citizens. Believe me, these people dream every day of having the good fortune of being "responsible for their own financial security."


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 11:45pm
Employers don't want to hire people they don't think are going to stick around. If you're "slumming" at your job, the boss knows you're going to leave as soon as you can, plus you're a challenge to their authority. But in answer to your question...yes, it is just plain stupid.