Long-term Unemployed Are Unemployed Longer

by Martha Plotkin & George Zeller

A recent article in the New York Times chronicled the travails of job seekers who have been unemployed for from six months to more than three years. Not since World War ll, according to the article, has the percentage of the long-term unemployed been so high for so long after a recession has ended. For the three-year period after the recent recession (between 2002 and 2005), those out of work for longer than six months consistently accounted for over 20% of total unemployment. And unlike in previous recessions, many of the currently long-term unemployed are better-educated, middle-aged, white-collar workers.

Andrew Stettner, a policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project told the Times "there are just not new jobs being created in the things these people did before." This decrease in hiring is due both to structural changes in the economy and to productivity improvements that allow businesses to make fewer hires and achieve similar revenue results.

Another factor is the increasing cost of company-paid health insurance, which makes businesses reluctant to hire new people. Business leaders are acting cautiously, as if they are preparing for the next economic downturn. The price of oil and the Iraqi war add to the general feeling of instability. The "baby boomer bulge" also plays a role in keeping people out of work for longer periods. It is difficult for some boomers who have lost jobs to find new work appropriate for their skills. This problem is particularly severe among the thousands of high tech workers who lost their jobs in the implosion of the high tech industry.

Employment coaches and counselors offer the following suggestions for people experiencing long-term unemployment:

Ask friends, neighbors, former co-workers and family members for support. This will also help you from feeling isolated.

• Attend meetings of professional and trade associations in your industry, or the industry you want to enter.
• Volunteer. Besides keeping you active and engaged, volunteering can help you develop and/or maintain your skills while maintaining a positive attitude.
• Seek out low or no-cost non-profit and government agencies for assistance.
• Network, network, network. Most jobs are found through people you know and their referrals.
• Do not give up. All it takes is one job match. Believe that somewhere there is a job for you.
• Work on your social skills. In many cases chemistry trumps qualifications. Stay likeable and keep the can-do attitude.
• Remain positive. Realize that your work is only a part of who you are.
• Be prepared. You never know when an opportunity will present itself. Be sharp and ready at all times.

George Zeller is the Senior Employment Specialist at Career Moves at Jewish Vocational Service, and Martha Plotkin is the Lead Career Counselor. JVS is a non-sectarian agency with 65 years' experience helping job seekers in greater Boston to find jobs and build careers. Career Moves staff work with hundreds of professional job seekers each year and offers top quality job search and career transition services.

To learn more about Career Moves at JVS visit http://www.jvs-jobs.org/ or call 617-451-8147.