Lost in Recession, Toll on Underemployed and Underpaid, By Michael Cooper, June 18, 2012, New York Times: “Throughout the Great Recession and the not-so-great recovery, the most commonly discussed measure of misery has been unemployment. But many middle-class and working-class people who are fortunate enough to have work are struggling as well, which is why Sherry Woods, a 59-year-old van driver from Atlanta, found herself standing in line at a jobs fair this month, with her résumé tucked inside a Bible. She opened it occasionally to reread a favorite verse from Philippians: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ.” Ms. Woods’s current job has not been meeting her needs. When she began driving a passenger van last year, she earned $9 an hour and worked 40 hours a week. Then her wage was cut. . .”
Tag: Job losses
Long-term Unemployment
Long-term unemployment crisis rolls on, By Charles Riley, June 11, 2012, CNNMoney: “The national unemployment rate has fallen from its recession highs, but Americans who have been out of work for six months or more are still having trouble finding work. The numbers are staggering. The ranks of the long-term unemployed swelled last month from 5.1 million to 5.4 million, and those individuals now account for 42.8% of the unemployed. Meanwhile, the average length of time the unemployed have spent out of work has climbed steadily higher — and older Americans have been the hardest hit…”
Unemployment and Older Workers
Over 55 and jobless, Americans face tough hunt, By Susan Heavey, May 15, 2012, Chicago Tribune: “Jean Coyle, 67, has a new kind of ministry. The former professor had just begun a career as a Presbyterian minister in Virginia when the economic downturn forced her church to let her go in 2007. After that, she found only temporary work. She relied on savings while job hunting, but at 64, had to dip into her Social Security benefits. She officially retired in 2010. For spending money, she plans to start teaching a water aerobics class to earn $40 a week. ‘I’m not going to get wealthy on that,’ she said. ‘It’s not really the ministry I expected to have.’ Coyle is among the many unemployed, older Americans who, while struggling to reenter the workforce, have growing worries that their retirement security is at risk. The number of long-term unemployed workers aged 55 and older has more than doubled since the recession began in late 2007. Getting back to work is increasingly difficult, according to a government report being released on Tuesday…”