Today the jobless claims number came in below expectations at 388,000 which is the lowest number of first time claimants in two years. That’s good news on the surface, in order for the US economy to be seen as creating more jobs than it’s losing, it’s estimated that first time claims need to be 350,000 or less on a consistent basis. A more troubling sign below the reported seasonally adjusted number was the not seasonally adjusted number which came in at 521,834, a 24,879 increase from last week's 497,000. While the seasonally adjusted jobless claims number is a welcome improvement, it does not signal job creation on any large scale. If these numbers continue to improve, then a more positive trend could be developing.
How are some long-term unemployed coping? Kerry, an unemployed registered nurse shared the following:
I have read your articles about the unemployed, and of course, I am one of those who has been without UI benefits since August of 2010. It is now going on 4 months that I have been unable to pay my bills, pay my rent, buy food for my family, etc, etc.
It is a story similar to any one of us 5 million citizens that have no income and are looking to welfare to help us. I am heart broken, for the first time in my life, I have had to stand in line to apply for food stamps.....but at least we will have food, and I am most certainly grateful for that!!
Going to food pantries to collect items is no easy task either. You do not get the items that you could really use, such as milk, meat, cheese, toilet paper, etc. However, I am still grateful for having the items that are given to us. Two years ago, we stood in line for a Thanksgiving meal, and it was so cold, but we made it, and 2-3 hours later, we were given an outdated bottle of Ranch Dressing, and we were told, "that's all that was left." I broke down and cried...I had nothing to give my family! Not to mention being frozen and shivering! Oh well, at least we had that.
The reason I am sending you this electronic mail is to let you have some recent examples of denials from potential employers. Here are just a few:
"Due to the high volume of applicants received, we are not able to individually contact each applicant when we do not find a matched position."
"At this time we do not have an opening that meets your qualifications."
"While your skills are certainly impressive, we currently are not hiring (position) that do not have at least 2 years experience."
On and on...they go, the reasons potential employers will not hire me. I believe the real reason is due to my age. I am nearly 50 years old, and I feel employers no longer find us useful, or that we have passed our prime and will not benefit their companies? At any rate, this is what I have run into among my countless job searches.
I am still hoping and praying that our government will pass the S.3706 Americans Want to Work Act, and help us in our desperate time of need. I am truly at the end of my rope, and don't know where to turn. I have faxed and emailed the Congress and Senators, but no response. I feel they ignore us too. However, our landlords, families, and children know we are still here, and still hurting. Please help us....please continue to keep up the fight for the passing of this ever so important bill.
Kerry T. Unemployed Registered Nurse
In a follow-up letter Kerry expanded on her situation regarding job leads and how a registered nurse may not be in demand.
Times are most very difficult right now, my 14 year old daughter keeps bringing up the homeless shelter, and I believe deep down inside she is terrified of us ending up there. To be honest, so am I. I don't have any other options up my sleeve, and have written the government until my fingertips hurt. Sometimes for up to 14 hours a day I have sent emails to Congress, the Ways and Means Committee, and so forth. They keep telling me it will take "time." Time is the one thing that is not currently on our side, especially with the landlord breathing down our necks. I saw a news blurb today about the government potentially helping Americans out with their mortgages, but nothing in that piece about persons who rent apartments. There used to be a thing known as Section 8 in Illinois, but that has been closed, with no word of it ever opening up again. Section 8 might have been an option for us. I have also looked into federal grants - nothing available there either for rentals.
As far as me being a registered nurse and out of work, I believe part of the mystery lies in my age. I am almost 50, have been out of work for over 2 years, and potential employers are hesitant to hire me. I have NOT gotten one phone call or email from a potential employer for an RN position since I began my search almost 2 1/2 years ago! Not one! How odd? I do not understand it either. My educated guess would be that the employers are hiring new graduates, so they can pay them less and have to earn their benefits (health insurance, etc.) after 90 days employment. Just a guess. I have heard the same thing from other nurses as well. In Illinois, it seems we are at a total stand still with jobs. My only other guess would be that people are working 2 and 3 jobs, leaving none for the others that are still searching?
I did get a nibble of an invitation, on Dec 23, 2010 for a possible medical transcription position opening up recruiting in Jan of 2011. I sent my resume and am waiting to hear back from them. I just finished my MT (medical transcription) course in Oct of 2010. No experience equals no job. Oh, do you wanna hear another kicker? My MT instructor, upon completion of my course, wrote me an email saying that and I quote, "most employers will not hire retired or disabled nurses as medical transcriptionists" because "they are notoriously bad spellers." She went on to say that one employer posted on her site, "if you are a nurse do not even bother to apply!" Can you imagine my shock upon reading this? Why did she not bother to tell me this PRIOR to my taking the MT course? I think I know the answer to this, for the money, of course! I have not given up hope however, I just keep on looking - in spite of what she had to say.
I am stumped however, with 2 degrees from college, I should be able to find ONE job!? In October of 2011, I will be able to drive a school bus again, like I did back in college. I have to wait because the State has to pass you - some kind of driving release. I am ineligible for this job because I had some financial problems 2 1/2 years ago, could not afford my car insurance for 2 months, so I had to apply for SR 22 because I was driving on a suspended license and had no idea! Anyway, I will be able to drive the bus again in approximately 10 months. I have never had any tickets, accidents, DUI's, nothing on my driver's license - except for that one instance. I have applied for some local driving jobs...but nothing yet.
These are basically the three things I know how to do for work. I have experience with nursing and driving, but no MT experience (outside of college). I will work hard, and try to give any potential employer my best effort. The ideal job would be to work in the transcription field, either from an office or from home. I am still looking Mike, every day. I know something will turn up. It has to! I want to work so much! I want to earn a paycheck again. I want to be able to provide for my daughter and myself. I always thought that by becoming a nurse, I would be set for life, but I am finding that this is not the case.
I asked Kerry to send me her resume, which can be viewed at Layoff List. If you are aware of anyone who may be interested in hiring Kerry, please send her a note.
Educated, talented, dedicated professionals of all types are having a very difficult time finding work. This is not for a lack of effort. The employment situation in the US is not designed to help the millions of long-term unemployed reenter the workforce. Limited retraining opportunities, as in Kelly’s case, poor credit scores, length of time unemployed and age all factor into a deteriorating jobs picture for the long-term unemployed.
Now that the president and Congress have addressed the needs of the wealthy and the connected, it’s time to address the needs of the long-term unemployed. America cannot get back on track unless Americans are able to get back to work.
Wishing you all a prosperous 2011.
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Do you have a story you'd like to tell? were you rejected during the hiring process for being unemployed. Have you been the victim of a temp agency that won't give you an interview because you are unemployed? Have you seen jobs ads for "employed only" or "unemployed need not apply"? Have you lost a chance at a job due to a poor credit score? Send your job rejection experiences and unemployment stories to mike@layofflist.org.
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Huffington Post
Huffington Post is kind enough to give me a chance to post my work at their site. I hope to be able to spread the 99er word using their larger audience. You can see my efforts at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-thornton.
Comments
Nice Job Mike......Thanks for Kerri sharing her story....would be nice for someone to read this and want to hire her...Could use some good news to break in the New Year....
Thank you Mike for running Kerri's story and keeping us all connected.
I hope your posting her story will lead to someone helping her find a job. I keep hearing about a nurse shortage and wonder where is it? I am no expert but could there be a geographic component too. If anyone out there knows who is hiring nurses and where, perhaps they could give Kerri a shout.
I have just joined the 99er club and look forward to hearing news from others. I too keep applying for jobs and the few that respond tell me the same story: They have received hundreds of applications for one job and cannot keep up with them.
News article By Alex Fortuna on December 30, 2010, 6:15 am
December 30, 2010 "Now Tier V 99er’s Now To Be Added To The Calculation" I am a 99er. Since I no longer have the ability to contact my unemployment office how will anyone know if I've found a job or not? Once you reach the 99th week there is no communication with the unemployment office. If you are contacting them by phone the prompts end with a comment like "there are no available funds". Then you are disconnected. There is no further information requested.
So exactly how is the number of those that have reached 99 weeks going to be calculated? Another GUESSTIMATE by the government, calculated to make the numbers LOOK GOOD! Like the economy is improving!
The only way to ensure the correct count of people over 99 weeks is to approve a Tier V and count the number of applicants. This is called commonsense, not guess work! We still need money to help us find what little employment that's being currently offered. Or until there are real jobs available!
The unemployment rates, the U3 and the U6, are all estimates based on the Household Survey. The Household Survey is based on a statistical sampling of 60,000 households. They ask people in those 60,000 households if they are unemployed, looking for work, how long they are unemployed, etc. They then use those figures to determine an unemployment rate. There is no attempt to count every person in any estimate of unemployment. People are counted as unemployed and looking whether or not they are eligible to collect unemployment benefits.
I'll never be convinced that the Labor Dept doesn't know EXACTLY how many people have exhausted their benefits. The state Labor Depts track every check issued. The information for each individual is listed on the Account Inquiry page on everyone's state UI website. Granted, they don't know who has or hasn't found employment SINCE their benefits ended, but they certainly know how many have exhausted all available weeks.
AMEN!!!!!!!! HD!
Mike, please let Kerry know I have posted this article on my Facebook and reached out for help for her. My advice is for her to make certain she has a LinkedIn account and that it is updated. Also that she join as many groups as possible on LinkedIn to help her network with those in the medical profession. There are a LOT of jobs posted through LinkedIn that you cannot find elsewhere. There is also a site called http://internsover40.blogspot.com/ and it has a lot of great information for those over 40 who are in our same shoes. Also, please let her know I am praying for her. Thanks, Mike. You're a gem.
After being 3+ years unemployed, I finally got a job. All I had to do was move to another state (Cost = $8,000 charged to a credit card) and agree to work for $8.25 an hour and receive no benefits.
I will be eligible for paid time off in 2 years.
I work sometimes 10 days in a row before a single day off is granted.
I will be eligible to join the group health plan in 2 years. My family is NOT eligible to be insured on this plan.
I make in 2 weeks what I made in 3 DAYS in my last job.
Let's test the Obama "Transparency in Washington" campaign promise:
1) Certify and implement a National Referendum on the Unemployment Crisis. Dignify the process by having the questions worded by an impartial panel of one English Professor, one Author, and a Minister. Polls open long enough to cover Puerto Rico to Hawaii, exit polls shown on C-Span trailer. No vote, no say.
2) Have the DOL establish a temporary hyper-security website for 99ers with a running tally feature to remain open for one week. Sign-in must coincide with info DOL already has banked - SSN, 4-digit code - or the response is negated. Simple questions only, framed appropriately, and easy answer application (Yes/No, on a scale of 1-5, e.g.). All can view, only 99ers can participate.
That's as up front, in person as you can get. Anyone can see the results. One day to vote, or a week to make a digit-counter accessible on the web. ONE. That's it. Transparency.
Great idea! Too bad that 'transparency' is the LAST thing that Obama (or any politician) wants. Both parties began campaigning for 2012 before the polls even closed in November's mid-term election. Allowing any light to shine on the true unemployment rate (and the 99ers) will never be an option for either party. As more and more people trickle into membership in the 99ers club, they too will be hidden under layers of Spin, and ignored to death.
I'm disappointed to hear that even nurses can't get jobs. The TV ads always say there's a need. Apparently that's another lie about the jobs environment...
I've been applying in the school system. One of the good things is it's a fairly transparent system because of the union contract. You pre-qualify for the job title and get a score based on your resume. Then when a job opens, you submit your name. The top ten names get referred to the school site. The school must interview the top five. I've applied for three positions and was ranked #1 for each position. I got two interviews but no job. For some reason, I wasn't contacted by the third position to schedule an interview. I'm following up on that with HR and the union.
I've heard that the DOL is going to change the way they count the long term unemployed starting Jan. 1. Without accurate feedback, the system cannot improve! All unemployed need to be counted. I have to laugh/cry when they say long term unemployed have dropped out of the work force and stopped looking for work. How do they think we live? We are not millionaires. WE MUST WORK TO LIVE!!!!! Who can retire? My retirement plan is to work until I die.
I hate to sound like a Negative Nancy, but that is like working in a sweat shop. But we have to do what we have to do just to get something to eat. There is a saying once that "A man will do what's necessary if he chose to live." We decided to go on and we decided to live. We had our ways of living and that was taken from us against our own will. All we ask is to give us back what's taken. Sadly we have domestic terrorism in our country and even though a lot of people see's this, those with power turns both eyes blind to us. To those who put them in their place. I won't be surprised if the whole world is laughing at us...
I have been looking for jobs for the past two years now and I've been denied due to lack of positions, and also from being "over qualified". I didn't know anyone can be "over qualified"! Well, will there be any hope for the "99ers"? I'm not sure what this new Congress will bring, but even a few more checks would allow me to at least buy food.
The Congressional Black Caucus has posted an encouraging message at http://www.crewof42.com
on Jan 01 : 2011“We plan to push for passage of 99er bill in 112th Congress.”
I encourage all to read and contact your representatives this week. Whether Democrat or Republican, neither party has provided us true support. Let's get both parties on our side by telling our stories with persistance...and with much prayer to God in Heaven.
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