With the high unemployment the total unemployment that one can be eligible for is 99 weeks. By the time you have reached to 99 week maximum, if you are not at least temping, or getting a couple part time jobs, you will be in serious trouble,
Most 100 'weekers' become "discouraged unemployed" who along with temps, part timers, those who retire early, and those who go on welfare, are not officially considered unemployed, but are part of a larger "underemployed figure that politicians don't like to see publicized if they think they will get blamed for it. the reality is that real unemployment is nearly twice the "unemployment rate", a rate based on those who have done 3 or more searches a week or go regularly to a union hiring hall. If you are long term unemployed, or forced into early retirement, or skating by on a part time job, you wait for a job opening you feel confident that you will be seriously considered for before applying.
Right now unemployment rates have marginally improved, dipping just below 9%, but foreclosures are high because of the numbers of 99 weekers who have little or no income for making house payments with. Moreover, the cuts in government jobs in the upcoming budgets are sure to add at least a half a percent back onto the figures, and rising gas prices may make our retail goods, tourist travel and exports more expensive again, due to transportation, thus slowing the economy up. So expect the number of 99 weekers and post 99ers to increase in a few months unless either gas prices fall again and private employment substantially outweighs government job losses before people stop spending again. Either the economy has to go under 8% unemployment in a hurry, or it will just tip back the other way soon.
So for all the officially and unofficially unemployed, especially those getting close to being a 99er, here is a song I have written. Sing this to the tune of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall and structure the song in the same manner.
Most 100 'weekers' become "discouraged unemployed" who along with temps, part timers, those who retire early, and those who go on welfare, are not officially considered unemployed, but are part of a larger "underemployed figure that politicians don't like to see publicized if they think they will get blamed for it. the reality is that real unemployment is nearly twice the "unemployment rate", a rate based on those who have done 3 or more searches a week or go regularly to a union hiring hall. If you are long term unemployed, or forced into early retirement, or skating by on a part time job, you wait for a job opening you feel confident that you will be seriously considered for before applying.
Right now unemployment rates have marginally improved, dipping just below 9%, but foreclosures are high because of the numbers of 99 weekers who have little or no income for making house payments with. Moreover, the cuts in government jobs in the upcoming budgets are sure to add at least a half a percent back onto the figures, and rising gas prices may make our retail goods, tourist travel and exports more expensive again, due to transportation, thus slowing the economy up. So expect the number of 99 weekers and post 99ers to increase in a few months unless either gas prices fall again and private employment substantially outweighs government job losses before people stop spending again. Either the economy has to go under 8% unemployment in a hurry, or it will just tip back the other way soon.
So for all the officially and unofficially unemployed, especially those getting close to being a 99er, here is a song I have written. Sing this to the tune of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall and structure the song in the same manner.
99 Weeks of Checks in the Mail
99 weeks of checks in the mail,
Open one up
And pass it around
Pay the bills down
99 weeks of checks in the mail
98 weeks of checks in the mail...
So now what I'm looking for is someone with a video cam so we can get an unemployed workers chorus together, record it and post it on U-Tube. then we can link it back here to this blog again.
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