Ok – it’s hot, it’s muggy, I just threw on shorts, my fans are running full blast and the storms are brewing. And it’s like ten o’clock at night! How’s your Go-Go Juice been brewing this week? We’ll, I’ve been putting ice cubes in mine, although, they just simply melt. Central Ohio is purely mid-town USA where all middle states just seem to bake, sweat and where people take extra showers. This week, large dark swirly clouds brought tornado's South of Columbus and North near Michigan and the tips of Eastern Indiana a few days ago. Tonight, the storms are coming in from the North. But here in my little world of Central Ohio, my Go-Go Juice steams worse than the storms when it comes to hearing negative issues regarding the unemployed.
I read an article this week written by Chris Isidore, senior writer of CNNMoney.com about how the unemployed are getting the huge message from potential employers – ‘Don’t waste your time applying – if you’re not employed, we don’t want you.’ Many people who know me, know how I’ve been unemployed for awhile myself. I’ve watched this economy crash and watched fellow friends and colleagues lose their jobs too. And, once job openings slowly emerged, employers have been seeking solely the “cream of the crop” – candidates with high education, 10+ years experience in selected fields with varying credentials…you know the kind. They’re the Vice Presidents of companies who got unfortunately downsized from internal changes. Many of the top executives are leaving us middle managers in the dust and way out in left field. Well – I must say, that’s competition and it’s been truly fierce. It never did stop me though from trying. I listen to fellow out-of-workers who’ve experienced the same. So for a while, I didn’t feel so bad. I have tremendous credibility out there and one hell of a resume (so I’ve been told) yet, I couldn’t get an offer if my life depended on it. While I still do contract work as it comes available, when all is said and done, it is not a replacement of my normal hotel executive career that I’ve invested so many years in. However, now I may know why – because I’m not already in a “persay” job. And don’t think for one moment, such recruiters or people of human resources want to see just any job – such people in these positions are mindless drones who do not wish to put quality to the test. If they don’t see you in a job in the exact title and time frame for which meets the parameters they’ve set forth, forget it. Just any job will not do.
Sadly, as the economy slowly turns around, there are still millions of unemployed workers out there striving for their next career step, opportunity to shine and heck, for that matter, their next meal. Many of you know any further unemployment extensions are just out of the question. For Ohio, the agency (1)ODJFS (Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services) stated that approximately 98,000 people are about to lose the last of their UC benefits at the end of this month (June) and another 83,000 people by the end of July. Oh and let’s look ahead – Ho-Ho-Ho! By November, another 300,000 people will be out of extensions as well. There’s a nifty Christmas Gift in that stocking! So, if companies are not hiring the unemployed, then what will the unemployed do? I bet they’ll move away to another state like Iowa – where the unemployment rate is currently sitting at a very comfortable 6.8% and where professional and business services actually added over 5,000 new jobs over this past year. Now, if people move away, how does that affect (2)Ohio at its current 10.7% unemployment rate? Well, we currently have (3)approximately over 11 million, 500 thousand people living throughout the state. So…what’s the loss of a few hundred thousand people? No sweat! But, if we look at the worst areas to get hit, the urban areas like Mansfield, Delaware, Toledo, Greenville, Loveland, Montgomery, etc.? Those townships will be facing huge losses of revenues derived from the once hardworking individuals. That’s money lost for local fire departments, police departments, schools, road ways, wherever tax dollars are put to good use. We all know that a loss of tax dollars means a loss of motivators for even small business owners to come and thrive – hell, what would a veterinary doctor do if he had no clients? According to the article, businesses have been given a carrot to hire the unemployed. What’s the carrot? It’s a whopping 6.2% tax break from paying Social Security for each hired individual throughout the year. Let’s break that down. (4) Even at minimum wage, a given employee makes $7.00 per hour in the state of Ohio. In one week, at minimum wage, a potential employer would pay $17.36 per week in Social Security taxes. This tax break is an exemption for one year. For 52 weeks, the employer will get a savings of $902 from exemption for one employee. So, if even the small business owner who employs say 15 people and a fourth of those are newly hired unemployed, the business would get a huge thank you in the amount of savings of over $3,300 dollars at the end of the year. I don’t know about you, but I have many things I could do productively with savings over $3,000. So what’s wrong with these employers?
Well, let that be your Go-Go Juice for the next week! If you’re still unemployed – don’t beat yourself over the head…just get past the initial bureaucracy tied up in the line of HR and go straight to the decision maker. Welcomed or not, your chances might increase at an interview rather than waiting for nothing from someone who’s not even going to consider you at all. Good luck – keep your chin up and always keep a full cup of Go-Go Juice nearby.
Footnotes:
(1) ODJFS - Newspaper, The Plain Dealer
(2) Ohio Unemployment Rate - Bureau Labor of Statistics
(3) Ohio Population - US Census Bureau
(4) Ohio State Minimum Wage - Department of Commerce
