Laborless Day

With unemployment stagnant at 9.1%, I suggest we rename this holiday "Labor-less Day." For many people who have been unemployed for over two years, exhausted their unemployment benefits and are struggling to meet their financial obligations and feed the family, this is no day to celebrate the dignity of work. Hey, they just want a shot at working again.

Contrary to the news, there are lots of jobs out there. But the jobs that were lost--middle management and supervisory jobs, manufacturing and production jobs--are probably not coming back, and not at the same pay rates as before. What has happened in the almost three years since the recession (yes, a rose by any other name...) is that companies have learned to live without the extra staff they used to have. They have replaced or eliminated positions with technology or figured out that the people they have weren't working all that hard after all and could do a lot more with a faster computer or better software. They also found they could do a lot virtually on the Web, or could get hungry freelancers to produce quality work for little money. They are sitting on a lot of cash as an emergency fund, and why not?

Everyone is (or should be) socking a little money away for emergencies these days. There is a delicate balancing act going on in most households. There is just so much money coming in, and if some expense goes up, something else has to go down. We're battling the energy bills during this record-breaking heat wave summer because if it goes up another $50, we'll have to cut out something else, like food or gas.

Back to the jobs. There are jobs, but in some cases, not enough qualified individuals to fill them. Many of the unemployed are overqualified for the lower-level jobs that are still available. If you have been off work for awhile, you may be regarded as an employment risk who has lost the drive and discipline of the regulated work day and accountability necessary to work in a business environment. If you are over 50, you may be regarded as a dinosaur, lost in outdated work habits and less likely to adapt to technology and your relaxed "whatever" generation co-workers, one of whom may be your boss.

With so many entitlement extensions, it is difficult for someone on unemployment to give up the weekly "paycheck," freedom, flexibility and hope of a better paying job, to take a low-paying job outside his industry and below his training, education and experience. There are simply so many jobs that we feel are beneath us that we won't take at all. What happened to the notion that all work has dignity?

Many of the unemployed are waking up to the fact that their old jobs are gone and they need to take some action to reinvent, repurpose and retool themselves to fit into today's changing workplace. They are finding exciting ways to use their talents and discovering opportunities to make a living and a satisfying life. Sometimes letting go is the best way to go forward. There are numerous ways to create business opportunities with the world as your marketplace. Washington, Congress, the President and all the cry babies on the news aren't responsible for employment or lack thereof. We are. Make this a real Labor Day and find what you want to do and, as Nike says, "Just Do It."