The Loss of Self-Esteem is the Greatest Penalty of Unemployment
February 7th, 2011 - 4:13pm
Filed under Economy
By: Gen Next Member John Ridings Lee
One of the unspoken victims of the current unemployment situation is the effect that being unemployed has on the self-esteem of the worker without a job.
Regardless of the actions of the Federal and State government to extend unemployment benefits and to appear to be sympathetic to unemployed workers, there appears to be no concern over the psyche of the workers. One way this negatively impacts the worker is in the loss of their self-esteem.
Robert Roach, who recently lost his job as Principal of the Heartland Christian Academy in Bemidji, Minnesota, says that the lack of real attention to the issue of unemployment by government makes him - and 15 million other Americans like him - similarly unemployed, feel helpless.
His recent interview for a post as student services coordinator at a technical college found his competition to be 160 other applicants. Even though he holds a degree in chemistry and has no debts other than his home and car, he found out very quickly that he was "over-qualified." He maintains that it isn't just about the economy, it's about self-esteem. For those out of work, it is very easy to feel isolated and alone.
Consider the scope of the unemployment problem:
1. We are still running over 600,000 NEW jobless claims EVERY week.
2. The government continues to UNDER-REPORT the true problem.
3. Those who have given up looking for work aren't counted in any index. At the latest count, their numbers are at 920,000 - almost a million more that should be counted on the unemployment roles.
4. A vast majority of Americans are under-employed, having to take jobs that pay a fraction of what they formerly earned just to keep food on the table.
5. Most of the new jobs created are in the public sector, only adding to our debt burden.
6. The commercial banks are sitting on billions of bail out dollars rather than investing in new equipment or employees.
7. Uncertainty about future government taxes, health care impacts and other government programs are keeping several employers on the sidelines.
8. Major corporations are taking advantage of foreign labor costs and off-shoring many jobs formerly held by Americans. Alan Binder, a Princeton University economist, estimates that 22% to 29% of all current United States jobs will be shipped overseas in the next two decades.
9. Many companies are taking advantage of the vulnerable employees they have and increasing productivity by insisting on longer hours and working days by those who want to stay employed.
10.The annual summer layoffs are not here yet, and this year they will not have the governmental cover of the census to offset the loss of jobs.
11.Computers and automation are now performing many tasks formerly performed by humans and this trend will only grow over time.
12.Many workers have turned to temporary employment agencies with low pay and no benefits. Temporary jobs represent an astonishing 80% of private job growth.
According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) the United States accounted for over half of all job losses among the 31 richest countries from 2007 to the middle of 2010.
Karl Perera, an acknowledged expert in the field of self-esteem, listed several reasons why self-esteem is so important to a person. You can readily see how they affect the unemployed:
1. Self-esteem can be the difference between success and failure. This is especially important in the interviewing process.
2. Self-esteem affects your thinking, causing your outlook to be positive or negative about all aspects of your daily life, not just your employment situation.
Your potential to achieve what you most desire (and this usually is gainful employment for the unemployed) is directly related to your self-esteem. You must maintain positive self-esteem to overcome the attitudes of others who tell you that you cannot succeed.
Robert Reasoner, a former school administrator and the developer of a model that is used in schools throughout the United States, says that self-esteem is merely the confidence that one can meet life's challenges and be worthy of happiness.
If this is true, how little the unemployed ask and how easy it would be for our government to provide it.
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