PDA

View Full Version : The New Poor: Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs



TheQueen
02-21-2010, 02:16 AM
By PETER S. GOODMAN
Published: February 20, 2010

BUENA PARK, Calif. — Even as the American economy shows tentative signs of a rebound, the human toll of the recession continues to mount, with millions of Americans remaining out of work, out of savings and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits.

Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in past recessions, failing to create jobs in sufficient numbers to absorb the record-setting ranks of the long-term unemployed.

Call them the new poor: people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life who are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives — potentially for years to come.

Yet the social safety net is already showing severe strains. Roughly 2.7 million jobless people will lose their unemployment check before the end of April unless Congress approves the Obama administration’s proposal to extend the payments, according to the Labor Department.

Continue Reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/business/economy/21unemployed.html?hp

figmentmom
02-21-2010, 01:56 PM
As the article points out, many of the newly-unemployed lack the skills necessary in today's tough job market. People who were for years able to work with just a high school diploma find themselves just about unemployable now. :no