Archive for the ‘Unemployment’ Category
Thursday, December 27th, 2012
It’s been a Scrooge of a year, wouldn’t you say? Ebenezer Scrooge – whom I caught on television the other night looking a lot like the actor George C. Scott – was a man who refused to share any of his wealth with the world around him. The year 2012 bears a resemblance.
This year, we endured a divisive battle for the presidency, which was fought at times as though the only thing that mattered was how much money either side could raise. That’s a sad statement for a country that stands for democracy.
Thousands were wiped out financially and emotionally by superstorm Sandy. Many innocents were lost to deranged gunmen in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn.
The economy refused to rebound, and Washington wouldn’t come to agreement over anything.
And so the year 2012 was stingy like Scrooge. But in “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens thankfully gives us examples of two people who don’t lose faith in the old miser: his long-suffering clerk Bob Cratchit and his nephew, Fred. (more…)
Tags: banking meltdown, Barack Obama, Budget, foreclosure, job loss, Middle Class, parenting, Politics, social effects, Unemployment
Posted in Budget, Consumer Confidence, Economy, Family, Globalization, Mental illness, Middle Class, Politics, President, Public Health, Social problems, Supreme court, Unemployment, Unemployment rate | Comments Off
Thursday, October 25th, 2012
It’s dismaying that pay equity for women is the family issue that emerged most loudly from the recent round of presidential debates. Pay equity by itself is a simplistic measure that obscures more complex and urgent public policy reforms.
Judging how fair our workplaces are by whether men and women are paid equally is like judging a teenager based on an SAT score. That single number doesn’t tell you anything about the kid’s study habits — not to mention character or passions.
Similarly, the oft-repeated assertion that women earn 77 cents to a man’s dollar says very little. The number is an average of full-time workers, rather than a comparison of men and women in the same jobs with the same experience. A 2009 study by the economics consulting firm CONSAD Research Corporation showed that when the wage gap is analyzed by occupations, regional markets, job titles and more, women make about 94 percent of what men make. (more…)
Tags: Barack Obama, Education, Family, Middle Class, parenting, Politics, Unemployment, Work-life balance
Posted in Children, Consumer Confidence, Economy, Education, Family, Middle Class, President, Unemployment, women's rights | Comments Off
Sunday, July 22nd, 2012
Entering adulthood used to be like wading into a gently sloping lake. You got your feet wet with a degree or job. Then maybe you found an apartment, and eventually a life partner. Soon, you were swimming in deep water.
But today, it feels as though the water gets deep fast. Young people can’t just splash around and “find themselves” anymore. The world has changed.
Work can disappear with little warning. Skills grow obsolete fast. Lifetime employment and corporate loyalty are mostly things of the past. Compared to two decades ago, the average American worker puts in an extra 164 hours per year on the job, according to economist Juliet Schor. And adjusted for inflation, middle-class U.S. workers make less than they did in 1971.
These pressures mean that anyone who wants to “have it all” – career, family and leisure – needs to look way ahead. We parents would be wise to talk through the choices very explicitly with our children, especially the majority who are likely to want both work and kids. (more…)
Tags: consumerism, Economic Policy Institute, Education, Family, Globalization, job loss, Layoff culture, Middle Class, parenting, Unemployment, Work-life balance, Youth
Posted in Children, College savings, Consumer Confidence, Economy, Education, Family, Middle Class, Unemployment, Youth | Comments Off
Thursday, July 12th, 2012
I well remember how my first job made me feel: capable, creative, in charge. I was a summer counselor at a YMCA day camp, and still practically a kid myself, just out of 10th grade. I made a lot of mistakes.
As the arts and crafts counselor, I blew most of my $200 budget on Popsicle sticks and gimp. We ran out of arts and crafts supplies halfway through the summer, and so taking long “nature walks” became our fallback. I wonder what the campers’ parents thought.
Making mistakes like that is partly what early jobs are all about. We learn, and then make better decisions when the “real” job comes along.
So it’s troubling that teens today are facing their third straight summer of bleak employment prospects — in fact, the worst since World War II, when the government began keeping track. In April, the jobless rate for 16- to 19-year-olds approached 25 percent. And the unemployment rate only counts those actively looking. Many are too discouraged by the dismal economy to try. (more…)
Tags: Education, Middle Class, parenting, social effects, Unemployment, Youth
Posted in Children, College savings, Economy, Education, Middle Class, Social problems, Unemployment, Youth | Comments Off
