Saying what I want to say on Labor Day

So many politicians these days get to say whatever they want to say with little regard for facts or truth.  And people either believe or don't believe, sometimes with as little regard for the truth...they like or don't like what they hear based on how it sounds to them and how it fits in with their own world view.

It's all about spin.  And so we get big scary headlines about 9% national unemployment.

Can you look at that number for a minute?  What does 9% national unemployment actually mean?

Well, one of the things it means is that 91% of the American workforce is employed. 

I'm employed.  Pam is employed.  All of my local friends are employed.  Everyone in my family of working age is either employed or successfully retired.  My neighbors are all employed or successfully retired.

We buy stuff.  We spend responsibly.  We continue to save for retirement.  We contribute to charities and volunteer our time.

91% of working age Americans are employed.

Now I don't say any of this to belittle that 9% of Americans who aren't working.  Some communities are hard hit and really are struggling.  I know that.  Those people and communities should not be ignored. 

But is it that there just aren't any jobs?  None at all?  My company is hiring an average of 3 new employees per week, with no end in sight.  I see jobs offered in the classified sections of newspapers.  I see jobs listed on sites like Career Builder. 

Is it that there aren't any jobs?  Or is it that there aren't enough qualified applicants to do the jobs that are out there?  Or is it that people just don't want to do the jobs that are out there?  Or is it that people want to do a job similar to what they've always done and refuse to change directions in order to get back into the workforce?

I really wish there wouldn't be such an insane focus on whether new jobs are being created.  What is a "new" job anyway?  Every time I've moved from one job to another, that job has been "new" to me.  Is a "new" job just a position that is looking for a worker or has been filled recently with a worker?

If a company suddenly posts a need for 50 workers, did that company just create 50 "new" jobs?  Or are they only "new" jobs when the positions have been filled?

Maybe we could spend some time talking about the 91% of the workforce that is employed, rather than always headlining the 9% of the population that is out of work.  Or wouldn't it be nice to see a break down of where the jobs are and who is hiring and what you need to do to get qualified for those jobs, as opposed to always seeing the lines at the unemployment office or the sad faces of people who aren't working?

I feel for people who aren't working.  I really do.  It sucks not to carry your own weight.  I've been there.  But there are jobs out there and companies are hiring.  Either you're qualified for those jobs and you're going to get hired, or you need to think about taking another job that you don't want in order to get back in the workforce so that you can come to the interviews for jobs you do want from a position of strength.

I'm sorry.  That sounds like I'm blaming people who have lost jobs for losing those jobs, and holding the unemployed responsible for the economic difficulties in which they find themselves.  I'm not.  I'm just trying to make the point that we're only getting the negative news about jobs and recovery.  We're not getting any useful news about where jobs are and who is hiring.  And that makes it twice as hard on people who are looking for jobs.

And companies who have jobs available should remember that just because an applicant hasn't had a job for more than 6 months doesn't mean he or she isn't qualified to sit at the desk you are offering and do some great work for you.  

Being unemployed shouldn't be a barrier to getting an interview.  And being unemployed for a long time doesn't mean a person is no longer qualified to work.  Years of experience in the workforce aren't cancelled by becoming unemployed.

I once had to go back to delivering pizzas for a year after I swore I'd never do that again.  I had to do it because it was the only job I could find.  It sucked.  But it got me back to a place where I could get a job in inventory control.  That job sucked too, but it got me to a place where I could get a job as a mail clerk.  That job didn't suck so bad, and it got me to a place where I could move two desks over and start learning how to do accounts payable.

And that led me to Yosemite for a summer as a billing and office manager, which led me to southern California and more accounts payable, which led me to a bookkeeping and office management job.  And that paid for me to finish my degree in Business Administration with a focus on accounting, which led me to Washington State and my current great job as a Senior Operations Analyst at a company that is hiring 3 employees a week.

You never know what your stepping stone is going to be.  Maybe you have to go back to doing something you don't like in order to move forward.  That was my answer.  I don't know what the answer is for the 9% of Americans who aren't back to work yet.

But I do know that 91% of Americans are working. 

Reason 60:  Because it can be challenging enough to make a prosperous life without the added difficulty of slogging through constant conflict. 

Join us on 4 November.  You know you want to.