Unemployment – Hard on Confidence And Psychology

Of the 12.5 million unemployed people in the United States, over 5 million have not been able to land a job for 27 weeks or longer, putting them in the ranks of the long-term unemployed. Worse still chances of them getting a job anytime soon are also fast fading.

Not only are the long-term unemployed facing financial effects of losing their jobs, they are confronted with many emotional ones as well. For most of them it means a loss of identity, for a job defines them. Their unemployment goes way beyond not being able to pay the bills; the emotional concerns can also be harsh.

For them it means reshuffling a life that does not have a secure income. It means no more dinner dates, going to the library to surf the net, avoiding friends, scuttling regular habits and adopting other austerity measures.

Veteran Banker Emmanuel Charles cannot afford personal Internet service anymore and has to go to the library to check his mail. He drives an old Mercedes that has already logged a quarter of a million miles.

The global banking meltdown cost him his job and since then he has managed to spend whatever reserves he had. In his job hunt, he sends resumes with only his cell phone number but no residential address, because he is unsure of where he will be living a month from now.

Whilst attending a Davie job fair he said that it was important to keep your spirits up and not let it flag, but added that it was easier said than done…

via Unemployment Saps Confidence And Psychologically Devastating, say Analysts – EmploymentSpectator | EmploymentSpectator | Employment News.