Jobless recovery victims adapt and survive
October 26, 2003USATODAY.com reports: “Laid-off take survival jobs to pay the bills.”
“More workers who find themselves unemployed are turning to survival jobs, taking hourly or part-time work to make ends meet as the economic rebound drags on.”
“Nearly 5 million people who want full-time jobs have settled for part-time work because of economic conditions, up roughly 30% from 3 million in July 2000, according to September unemployment data from the Department of Labor.”
“Of job seekers ages 25 to 40 who are considering an hourly job as a temporary replacement for a career job, nearly one in three — 27% — investigate hourly work less than one month after their career jobs end, according to a poll by online employment site SnagAJob.”
“With the unemployment rate at 6.1% in September, managers and professionals with college degrees are competing with high school students for entry-level jobs.”
“The former executives are wiping down tables, selling candles at tourist shops, walking dogs — whatever it takes to help pay bills until employers start hiring again. ”
“The risk, says Robin Ryan, a Seattle career counselor and author of 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!, is that workers who take survival jobs will get depressed about their plight, which can immobilize the job search.”
“‘Where is your time to network, to work on your résumé?’ Ryan says. ‘You can get in a rut, get depressed. They almost get a low-grade depression. The days blend together, they do their part-time thing, and they meander through life with no hope they’re getting a new one.’ ”
“For many, it’s a harsh waiting game. While talk of an economic turnaround has some underemployed workers hopeful that jobs will return, few say they’re convinced they’ll see the same incomes they earned a few years ago.”
Some people may in fact have been way overpaid during the internet boom. Others will find their way back as things pick up again. If I were hiring, I’d look favorably on someone who did something–anything–to keep busy and earn money after being laid off versus somebody who was “full-time” looking for a job for months and months and months.
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