Who Are America’s Jobless?

By the numbers: Long waits, harsh impact of being jobless

As printed in USA Today on January 24, 2011 Complete article posted at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-01-25-1Ajobless25_CV_N.htm?csp=24

USA Today and Gallup interviewed Americans who are unemployed – those who aren’t working and either are looking for a job or plan to look – and those who are underemployed. This survey explored how they are managing who has been hardest-hit and what they believe is ahead. Most of those surveyed have lost any optimism they will find a job soon or end up with work they really want to do. Survey accuracy is +-4% about presenting the realities of those people either unemployed or underemployed in 2011.

One striking finding: the impact joblessness has not only on household finances, but also on almost every other aspect of life.

Long term unemployment has become so entrenched that, starting next month, reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics will raise from two years to five years the upper limit on how long some have been listed as unemployed and actively looking for a job.

Revealing Statistics

1. 81% are actively looking for a job
2. 62% haven’t received unemployment benefits
3. 60% predict they will have to settle for a job they don’t really want
4. 49% predict they won’t find a job in the next four weeks
5. 40% mange to pay bills with difficulty
6. 25% most recently worked in the service industry
7. 23% have moved to less expensive housing
8. 21% have sought medical help for stress or other major health problems
9. 16% have been looking for more than a year
10. 16% have applied for more than 50 jobs

Four Groups of Long-Term Unemployed

1. The short-timers. Call them the carefee. The most optimistic and half are under 30.
2. The long-timers. They have been out of work the longest, more than six months. This is oldest group, nearly one-third are 40 or older. And the best educated. One fourth have college degrees.
3. The downbeat. The most pessimistic. Just 6% say they expect to land a job with the next four weeks. Predominantly female, many with children at home.
4. The hardest-hit. Their personal finances are in trouble. Not a single person in this group is keeping up with household bills. They are the east educated. Two-thirds have no more than a high school diploma.