While the steady rise of the nation’s unemployment rate has become shorthand for the recession’s impact, many economists say the grim figures — 8.9 percent in April — don’t tell the whole story of Americans’ financial distress. While the plight of the jobless tends to dominate social policy conversations and media coverage, a less-exposed but equally vulnerable population is the millions of underemployed. This diffuse, often poorly tracked cross-section of citizens who bear the individual and collective challenges living on the economic fringes often go overlooked by policy makers and elected leaders.

Read more on the challenges underemployment presents in today’s economy.

underemployment, unemployment rate

“My job search began nearly four months ago. I’ve sent out dozens of cover letters and applications, mainly for jobs without pre-requisites. A history major like me doesn’t come with many specialized skills besides research. These days, it’s difficult to convince people to take a chance on an entry-level hire. I’ve landed a handful of interviews, but still no job. There was one week when I got three rejections. It felt like I’d hit a brick wall. I’m scared of having nothing to do after working non-stop for 4 years. I’m not questioning my abilities, but I have been questioning my choices, knowing students with engineering degrees are still finding jobs. And many of the positions I am equipped to fill are disappearing.”

Read more about unemployment struggles and how recent grads are preparing to overcome them.

unemployment

Resumes should generally be written to highlight your skill sets. But if you’re looking to land a short-term job that you’re overqualified for, you may need to dumb yours down. Here’s how to do it.

Learn how simplifying your resume will help you land part time and temp jobs.

part time jobs, temp jobs

Please note the quotation marks I used above… long time readers will know how a series of very well followed US reports have been “adjusted” over the years to a more positive bias. In the corporate workplace we call this “garbage in, garbage out”; in government we call it “official facts”. So the press runs with it; economists run with it - and we all smile… never questioning the situation. Well not “all” of us.

Read more on the U.S. unemployment rate surpassing Europe’s.

unemployment rate

Unemployment stats have made headlines in recent months.  Many think that the unemployment rate is one of the best measures of the current state of the economy.  When there’s money floating around, and people are using that money to buy more things, companies make and market more things, creating jobs.  That is not the case right now.  In April, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics employers took 2,712 mass layoff actions, laying off 271,226 workers.  It’s a problem that gets a lot of press.

Read more on the issue of underemployment and how it is quietly impacting the economy.

underemployment, unemployment

part time jobs, temp jobs