[Fresh Ink] The Anguish Of Unemployment

[Richard Menec]

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/03/the-anguish-of-unemployme_n_276545.html>

The Anguish Of Unemployment

First Posted: 09- 3-09 02:20 PM   |   Updated: 09- 3-09 03:17 PM

A new survey of unemployed Americans quantifies the enormous psychological 
trauma inflicted on laid-off workers by the recession -- but the pain comes 
through most clearly in the comments of the unemployed themselves.

"The lack of income and loss of health benefits hurts greatly, but losing 
the ability to provide for my wife and myself is killing me emotionally," 
wrote one respondent to the survey, which was conducted by the John J. 
Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

"Everything I have built up over the past 15 years of my life is being 
chipped away," wrote another.

"It really gives you a feel for the depth of the emotion and the suffering 
people are going through," said survey co-author Cliff Zukin, explaining why 
he included the raw comments in the report.

The numbers are pretty grim, too: Only 20 percent of those surveyed think 
they will land a job in the next few months, even fewer expect to get their 
old job back (11 percent), and most people say they feel stressed (77 
percent), depressed (68 percent), helpless (61 percent), and angry (55 
percent).

The survey finds that 55 percent of the unemployed say it's their first bout 
of joblessness in five years, 60 percent were given no notice whatsoever by 
their employer, and only 11 percent think they'll get their old job back.

Zukin said that beyond the collective psychological trauma, the numbers bode 
badly for the economic impact of the nation's employment situation. 
Sixty-three percent of respondents have dipped into their savings or 
retirement funds, 56 percent have had to borrow from friends or family, and 
34 percent have increased their credit card debt.

More numbers:

-- 75 percent of respondents are considering changing their career.

-- 43 percent said they'd received unemployment benefits from the government 
in the last year.

-- 53 percent said they had no health care benefits.

Some more comments:

"Even though age discrimination is illegal, I do believe it puts people off 
hiring; that is why I took a temporary job on my last job....I've always 
worked, so this is very depressing. At age 60, I never believed I would be 
unemployed unless I chose to be."

"My age (59) leaves me feeling worthless, very old, and isolated from the 
workforce -- with little chance of finding employment."

"Very few employers are willing to hire someone at my age because they are 
afraid of possible health concerns down the road, and that I may decide to 
retire too soon to make me a good risk."

"I don't want to move back home with my parents. Right before I became 
unemployed, I had moved out on my own for the first time."

"Nobody has called me in seven months. I don't feel important. I'm not 
contributing to family finances."

PDF of "The Anguish of Unemployment." 
http://www.heldrich.rutgers.edu/uploadedFiles/Publications/Heldrich_Work_Trends_Anguish_Unemployment(1).pdf

See - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/down-not-out - to read the 
Huffington Post's stories on regular people dealing with unemployment.