Unemployment
Long-term jobless fight rejection, fear, despair
Submitted by Patty on Sun, 02/07/2010 - 21:09
By SUE STOCK
News & Observer, Staff Writer
Dennis Shaver has been looking for a job for 17 months.
His wife, Patty Edwards Shaver, has been out of work for a year.
In eight weeks, the unemployment checks that have been helping to pay their mortgage will stop coming.
The Shavers, who live in North Raleigh, are among the 2.3 million people nationwide who have been out of work for more than a year. In North Carolina that figure stands at 88,000.
The long-term jobless are blue- and white-collar workers. They come from all age groups, income levels and ethnicities. And with the state's unemployment rate at a 30-year high of 11.2 percent, their numbers are growing.
Job Crunch Even Harder On People With Disabilities
Submitted by Patty on Fri, 11/27/2009 - 09:07By Joseph Shapiro
National Public Radio (NPR)
As large numbers of Americans deal with losing jobs, the unemployment rates are even higher among certain groups, including men, minorities — and also people with disabilities.
Lenny Kepil knows. He was laid off from his job this spring as a software test engineer. He'd been the last hired, but his whole department took a hit. "It makes you nervous when you're laid off a long period of time. And right now, it's been seven months so far," he says. "So I have to get ready for the reality that things are stacking up against me."
Kepil, who lives in Naperville, Illinois, has an impressive resume with more than 26 years as a software engineer. He's also deaf.
Latest Buzz: Recession's New Victims Are … Men?
Submitted by Patty on Tue, 11/24/2009 - 08:01By Jeannie Babb Taylor
Ethics Daily
Have you heard the latest buzz? Some writers and commentators are now calling the recession a "he-cession."
The new word, coined somewhere out on the blogosphere, incites fear and trembling in the masses because now the recession is actually affecting, well, men.
Obama calls for White House summit on job creation
Submitted by Patty on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 16:02By Michael A. Fletcher and Neil Irwin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Unemployment is 'one of the great challenges that remains'
President Obama plans to hold a White House forum on job creation next month, an attempt to signal his concern about the growing ranks of the unemployed and build consensus on future action to stoke the economy.
The summit will bring together small-business owners, corporate executives, economists, financial experts and union leaders to discuss ideas for accelerating job creation during the worst labor market conditions in a generation, Obama said Thursday.
Jobless fight harder for unemployment benefits
Submitted by Patty on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 15:55By John Murawski
News & Observer staff writer
RALEIGH - When Jason Smith was fired from his job as a graphic designer earlier this year, he did what some might consider unusual: He filed for unemployment benefits.
And when the Employment Security Commission denied his claim, Smith did something almost unheard-of a few years ago. He hired a lawyer to take on his former boss for his weekly $371 benefits check.
"I felt wrongly fired," Smith said. "I fight for the things I think I deserve."
What to do Before You Are Laid Off
Submitted by Patty on Wed, 09/02/2009 - 09:54 By Patty Edwards Shaver
MCV Career Development Facilitator
Here's what you can do to prepare for a layoff:
If you know you would want to make a career change, prepare for it ahead of time.
Start by assessing your interests, skills, abilities, personality, and values (CareerPlanning: self-assessments).
Then explore other occupations that match up to your assessment results (Career Planning: Career Exploration).
Church Plans a Day to Help Local Unemployed
Submitted by Patty on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 09:43 By Jonnelle Davis
News & Record
REIDSVILLE — When leaders at First Baptist Church began organizing a day to help the county’s unemployed, many ideas came to mind.
They thought that providing information about returning to school and applying for financial aid would be helpful.
Dental screenings and car tune-ups would benefit people who likely have had to cut back on those expenses, church leaders reasoned.
And a little pampering never hurt anybody, so they decided to offer free manicures and massages, too.
All these services and more will be available next month during Operation Faith, Hope and Love, a daylong event catering to the Rockingham County unemployed.
Finding the Way Out of Unemployment
Submitted by Patty on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 09:09 By Patty Edwards Shaver
MCV Career Development Facilitator
Like an unwanted visitor who has worn out his welcome, the recession continues to hang on with no departure in sight. Uncertainty lingers as the weeks pass and unemployment benefits run out. When the interviews are far and few in between, one may wonder what they're doing wrong, when in fact they may not be doing anything wrong at all. It's just the job market that's wrong, plain and simple.
Facing Career Transition: Retooling for the Journey Ahead
Submitted by Patty on Thu, 07/16/2009 - 16:18
By Patty Edwards Shaver
For Jobs For Life
When Sara King of Raleigh, North Carolina, heard about the Jobs For Life program offered at Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh, she thought it would be a good opportunity to improve her job search skills. She was in the midst of a career transition after moving from Virginia. The farm she owned and operated there was not generating enough income. She moved to Raleigh to be closer to family and because she believed Raleigh offered more job opportunities. The area in Virginia where King lived “was in a downward spiral,” she said. “It was economically deprived.”
Finding a Job in Hard Times
Submitted by Patty on Mon, 06/15/2009 - 14:08Lisa Ramsey sees firsthand how the slumping economy impacts older workers in North Carolina. Her organization, the Capital Area Workforce Development Board, oversees JobLink Career Centers at eight sites in Wake and Johnston counties. Increasingly, jobless workers over 50 turn to her agency for help. Read more
