Over the last several days I have seen many postings about LONG TERM unemployment. Instead of answering everyone on an individual basis I thought I would just write this.

Today's Economy is very different then the 80's and 90's and the 2000's. It began in October 2008 with the Market Crash, a New President and Administration. So a Few things that are REALLY important to understand.

1: No matter what you hear on the news about unemployment rate being at 5% THAT is an OUT RIGHT LIE - this number that the media uses comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics you can find the web site here ...http://www.bls.gov/... The number the media and the President use is known as the U-3 Number... what does this mean?

U3 Counts those individuals who are unemployed and are collecting unemployment benefits. But that is NOT the entire picture. It is more important to look at the U6 Number - that number is at 9.7%

U6 Counts those individuals who are unemployed and no longer collecting unemployment, those that have given up looking for work, and those still seeking work or are partially attached to work force through temporary and part time jobs. Adding these together you have a REAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE of 14.7%. Imagine looking at 100 people who are willing to work, who want to work and for the sake of argument 15 of them are out of a JOB...PERIOD! 5 of them are collecting unemployment and 9 of them are not.

These are some serious numbers

95 Million Americans who want to work, are looking for work but can't find a job. To put that into perspective that is 1/3rd of all Adult Americans. The population of the united states is somewhere around 330 Million People.

Those that are looking are facing even a BIGGER HILL. Corporations do want to hire, but demand for products and services are down depending on the industry. Health Care will never change ... it only increases due to retirees, and other factors. Add to this the TAX RATE for corporations at 39% US...and that does NOT include the State taxes and City Taxes that corporations pay in the form of Income tax, property taxes, licensing fees, etc...the list goes on and on and on.

The fear right now held by MOST corporations is that these fees and tax rates are going to go even higher. Well as my Dad always said, there is only so much money. A corporation is going to be very careful with its money if it wants to stay in business.

Its not that Companies don't have the money to HIRE you they do, but also understand that hiring someone at what ever rate of pay is not just that rate of pay. I should know I owned a company and hired and fired people.

Take for instance someone working a job for $10 per hour. But its NOT just $10 per hour that employee is making. The company has to pay on your behalf

Liability Insurance Unemployment Compensation the 2nd Half of your social security tax the checking accounts that hold the funds so you can cash your check there are fees on these Fees for maintaining TAX records for quarterly filing which for me ran $275 a quarter...

So all in all a $10 employee is REALLY making just shy of about $20 an hour. With that said.

This is an employers market not an employees market, much like its a sellers market and a buyers market for homes. Right now, in my area anyway this is a buyers market. With in a 2 miles of me there are that I know of 16 homes for sale on the market for MONTHS.

Employers are very slow, and careful in choosing candidates for their positions. And even NOW as you apply most likely there are anywhere from 200, and in one case for me 900 people that applied for that very same position of which there was ONE job opening.

My now Husband was layed off from AETNA INS. CO going on 4 years this coming January. He works 2 full time jobs at just about $10 per hour at each one. He puts in 65-70 hours a WEEK working from 5am to 10:30 sometimes midnight 4 days a week and works 2 days from 2pm to 12am. he has NOT been able to find a job in his field, he is a graphic design artist and a good one at that. It is true that industry has also changed, but even with his marketing and brand standards background he still has NOT found a position that even begins to come close to the money he was making 4 years ago.

This is the NEW NORMAL, and I am NOT a DOOM and GLOOM person, but these are the facts.

Outlook for the future months to come because of the election.

1: Hiring will come to a slow down even more until at least May or June of 2017

2: Pay rates are NOT going to return to what we think are a decent wage - if the Democrats win both the white house and the senate and the house and if they pass, and that is a big IF, a increase in minimum wage of $15.00 an hour that is NOT going to go into effect over night, and that will put even more pressure on companies NOT to HIRE...like I said a $10 or $15 dollar wage is NOT just that its double that ...PER PERSON...

Some areas of the company are better then others. Right Now Florida, South and North Carolina, Georgia and I think Arizona are better places to find halfway decent jobs.

If you live in the northeast, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey Pennsylvania - you are looking at, at least another 12-18 months of the same hiring environment. Add to that every year the new graduates that are coming out of college. Competition for jobs is only going to get that much tougher.

YOU CAN NOT take this personally, you can put out 100 resumes a week, I do, but we unemployed are up against a LOT of factors when it comes to hiring.

KEY THINGS...

Get your resume in order and create 2 or 3 different types for different careers Use LinkedIn and other social media to make contacts Find WEB SITES to help you stay positive and MOVE FORWARD Enlist with Temp agencies, remember a 3-6 month assignment is NOT forever, but at least your working and earning money.

This is NOT a political statement on who I think or who YOU should vote for this coming November. But there are some major issues that the new incoming President is going to have to deal with. I am only trying to tell you what I know as a former person who owned a business and paid those very same taxes that I listed above, the stress and the worry of meeting a payroll, and trying to keep the doors to the business open. Yes it failed I am sorry to say, but my industry is always the first to feel the pains of a failing economy, it always will be too.

I hope I have helped you understand what you are up against in this economy and the job market. You must be flexible enough to change with the times. Open yourself up to new opportunities ...

This is NOT an attempt to scare you, but to make you think about what is going on and how you can take control of your life and turn it around with some perseverance, hard work and a lot of disappointments. The road is not an easy one. YOU ARE NOT ALONE....its easy to feel this way, and I get it, I have been only unemployed since April. But non the less I feel the very same frustrations as many of you folks do.

If anyone has CONSTRUCTIVE ideas on how to beat unemployment I am all years, because maybe we can all learn from each other.

I wish you all well in your attempts in finding work.

T