eForum on Jobs

Thank you for your stories!

Read the Final Report on the eForum

Welcome to the Education and the Workforce Democrats’ eForum on jobs! We are exploring a number of proposals to put Americans back to work, including proposals made by the President to fund construction-related jobs in school repair and modernization, jobs in public education, including teaching positions, and job training and reemployment assistance to the unemployed.

(Click here to read excerpted stories)

To evaluate these proposals, Congress needs to hear your stories.  This fact-finding forum is designed to gather information to help Congress understand conditions on the ground in communities across the country.  To start, we would like to hear from individuals with direct experience in the areas of construction, education, and long-term unemployment. We welcome submissions on any of the following:

Have you or someone in your family lost a job, particularly in construction or education?  Has job loss threatened your home or your family’s health care?  Are you struggling to find work or to acquire new skills?  Tell us your story.

How have budget cuts in education affected your life or work?  If you are a parent of a child in public schools, how have those cuts affected your children?  Are schools or community colleges in your community in need of repair or modernization?  Tell us your story.

Do you see a need for construction work in your community that is not being done for lack of funding?  Tell us your story.

What kind of access do you have to job training or reemployment assistance programs?  Is it sufficient?  Tell us your story.

EXCERPTED SUBMISSIONS:

"...one of the critical challenges we and other community colleges across the nation face is that we are trying to educate and prepare the workforce for 21st century jobs, using 20th century facilities and infrastructure...Unfortunately, the traditional sources of funding we have relied upon are drying up as a result of our struggling economy, placing future improvements and job opportunities in danger...Our District is estimating we need approximately $325 million over the next 3-8 years to continue the capital improvements program.  In the meantime, projects planned in the immediate future are already stagnating due to lack of funding.  Here are a few projects that are ready to go but unfortunately do not have the funding to complete..." --Capital Improvements Program Manager, Contra Costa community College, Martinez, CA. Click here for complete submission. 

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"I am a long time union construction laborer who has been out of work for almost three years. I have spent most of the money I worked hard to save for retirement in order to get by. I live in the Detroit MI area, which has experienced the worst unemployment over the last ten years and work in one of the hardest hit business sectors. Meanwhile, the roads and bridges are in terrible shape, the electrical grid and the water and sewage systems are antiquated and there are many schools in need of repair..." --Rob, Walled Lake, MI

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"i'm a civil engineer. i lost my job in the municipal sector due to state aid cutbacks. in the public and private sector, the lack of infrastructure funding -- bridges, roads, water, stormwater and wastewater systems -- is both contributing to the crippling deterioration of those 'systems that allow for civilized living' (Henry Petrokowski, civil engineer); and also preventing the utilization of advanced skills of the nation's engineering talent..." --Joan, Somverville, MA

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"My son graduated from Point Park College this past December(2010)Education Degree sum cumlade. HE has been lucky enough to have worked substitute positions in the City OF Pittsburgh school district. This new school year even though they need new teachers he was told with the funding cuts he probably will not be able to get full time work for years to come, even with all the over crowding of students in the classrooms. When we know there is a shortage of teachers..." --Mike, Pittsburgh, PA

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"I have been out of work for over two years with a few temp jobs  in that period.  I am 61 years old in great shape but the demand in the construction industry has been so low that nobody is hiring.  Meanwhile our bridges and public buildings are falling apart..." --Thomas, Feasterville, PA  

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"I am a part time adjunct faculty member at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC). In the past, most SCCC students went to school full time & worked part time. Now most students work full time & attend SCCC part time. The State used to pay 1/3, the County 1/3 & the Student 1/3. Now due to budget cuts, the State pays 1/4, County 1/4 & Student 1/2. Students, States, Counties need help with educational costs." --Richard, Sayville, NY

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"My son started elementary school at a public school 3 years ago.  Every single year we have had staff layoffs, including classroom teachers and support staff.  Every single year the children are not sure who will be their teacher for the next.  We already have barely any support staff and only one administrator (the principal) in a school of 480 students.  Additionally, classroom supplies for science, art, etc. are lacking, with many donated by parents..." --Loretta, San Francisco, CA

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"I am a cafeteria monitor at Wright Elementary School and this year we went have 29 and 31 kindergarten students in our school.  This is not good because it is in a poorer neighborhood and a lot of these children need  more one on one attention due to behavorial problems and other issues from home that the over loaded techers have to deal with; therefore I feel their education will suffer because of the high class sizes due to education cutbacks.  Also, due to the cut bcks our children have to pay to be able to be in a sports program, cheerleading, band etc., or the arts; a first in Altoona."  --Rosemarie, Altoona, PA

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"I was working for GE making filaments for lightbulbs.  My plant closed because the jobs were sent out of the country.  That was almost 3 years ago.  I'm in retraining now, but being over age 50,(53 to be exact), I know my job prospects are extremely limited.  We've gotten behind on all of our bills and we have had no insurance, because even if I were still eligible for COBRA,it's cost prohibitive..." --Donald, Youngstown, OH

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"My husband was a hard working provider.  He worked as I do in the human service feel.  He also held more that one job to provide our kids with a good life.   Several of the agencies my husband worked for closed due to budget cuts and changes in how the program were run.  He eventually loss all of his job and now at 60 years old has been unemployed for 2 years.  His unemployment benfits have run out.  Our house is in forclosure.  I am working overtime at my job just to make ends meet.  We live in a rural area of New York State the lack of jobs don't just effect him.  I am a Medicaid Service Coordinator working with disable individuals and their families find services and now with the pending changes I have to worry about my job also as New York State is planing great changes to the service for our disable population. 

No job in the area has cause many of our young people to join the arms services including my youngest son with will be headed for Afganstan in Decemeber. He may not come home to the house he was raised in if something does not happen some to improve our way of life." --Gladys, Red Hook, NY

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"I am glad to have the oportunity to tell my story as a Vietnam veteran and a proud American.

I have been out  of work since early January 2009 having lost my job when my employer merged with a major media company (these are what Republicans call job creators ?

After the merger, I was let go thru no fault of my own. In fact, I was up for a promotion and a raise right before the layoff. Since that time, I have collected and exhausted all of my unemployment benefitis while looking for work. I've applied for over 8,000 positions yet I (with a graduate degree) am still unable to find any work.

I also lost my health insurance and can not afford any health care right now even tough I have serious kidney problems.

I have had some computer trianing to enhance my skills but the training was poor and I could have taught the class with my MLS masters degree. So with uograded skills I stiill can not find work.

I've 2 months of back rent to pay and could loose my apartment. I am likely to wind up being just another "homeless and jobless vet" even though in 2008, I had a an annual salary of over $100,000.

I am not looking for a handout. In fact, I am doing volunteer work just to remain same and help others." --Leigh, New York, NY 

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"I have been working since I was 14 years old, from cutting grass in the summer to shoveling snow in the winter. I have never claimed unemployment until I was 41 years old , now I find myself out of work for almost two years. I am a union electrician LU 357 out of Las Vegas , I last worked Jan 08 2010. What happened to me happened to alot of construction workers across America, at no fault of our own. A bunch of unemployed Americans now find themselves at the end of their unemployment benefits..." --Brian, Henderson, NV

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"The legislation to extend unemployment benefits for the "99ers"--people who have exhausted all unemployment benefits did not pass so I am in crisis mode and feels like NO one cares.

In Virginia, we get about 85 weeks of unemployment. I have not gotten anything since October 2010. Subsidized COBRA ended for me in May 2010, so I have had no health insurance since that month, either.

I am a single woman, and since January 2009 am hitting brick walls looking for employment. I volunteer at several places, network constantly, and for the last two years have spent eight hours minimum per day looking for employment.

The construction, housing, and architectural industries have been hit especially hard and need special help.

Under a different climate, I am a very desirable and sought-after seasoned architectural design professional, but these days jobs are scarce to nil. I had to move in with family 18 months ago and have been bouncing around among family members living in Spotsylvania, Richmond, and Glen Allen...." --RIcha, Spotsylvania, VA

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"My job went to China in 2006.  I tried to go back to college for a higher degree but halfway through lost my funding.  I had no way to pay for a higher degree.  So since 2008 I've been working at minimum wage and dipping into my savings to exist.  My savings are now gone.  I have to look at using my retirement to live on..." --Denise, Williamsburg, CO

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"...My husband works as a UNION concrete laborer, as two companies shuttered their doors without warning, we lost it all, that is everything we built over a twelve year marriage with two kids.  My kids watched as we sold their playset and toys to have enough to make it, so we moved into an apartment and regrouped.  My husband was a hard worker and thankfully his work ethic has produced him work from former employers, although neither one of those employers can produce year round work, they are both working hard to find construction work for their employees, but there are not many projects funded, but MANY NEEDED.  All of my husbands co-workers who have for years, worked hard to provide for their families, are loosing the grip they have on their homes, and their lives.  We have been doing our best to provide for the destitute, and those people are our friends and neighbors..." --Tanya, Lake Geneva, WI

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"My name is Salvador i am a union carpenter from Chicago,whos been laid off for about two and half years been trying to find any type of construction work but there ain't none.My unemployment benefits finish in dec 2010 my house has been in foreclosure thank god for my family they helped out,my truck is close to being reposes,cant pay my bills all my savings are gone all because their aint no work out there.I see a lot of construction that could be done and must be done bridges,roads,alot of infrostructure.All im,i mean all we are asking is a chance to work, bring America back to work we all need it know and for our future so give us the funding to get a lot of people back to work. NO WORK NO FUTURE." --Salvador, Chicago, IL

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"I've worked for building materials suppliers for over 7 years. Before that I worked in construction. I was layed off in December 2010 and have not found work since. My wife is self employed and all our insurance was through my work. We have not been able to afford any insurance since I was layed off. We are both 60 years old. We are struggling to keep our home and pay our property and income taxes. I'm now enrolled full time in a college nursing program through a local college but my unemployment compensation will run out soon and I have no idea what will happen then. Luckily we are both in good health right now. It would really help if my unemployment compensation could be extended and we could get a big break on our taxes. Then I could finish the college work and get a job in nursing." --Mike, Rockland, ME

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"I am a certified teacher who has been out of work since 6/2010.  Absolutely no one is hiring.  I've even gotten to the point where I apply for anything if it is full time.  I was recently turned down for a job because I didn't have "convenience store experience".  This is ridiculous...I have a college degree, hours toward a Masters and teaching certification, but I'm not qualified to run a lottery machine and give change.

I have begged for retraining- our state, for some odd reason thinks it is a 'high need' state for teachers, so I am ineligible for learning something that would help me get a new job.  Of course no one will hire a teacher with experience when they can get a new college grad for half of what I was making...I need help.  My UI is getting ready to run out entirely and I can't even get menial work.  It shouldn't be this way..." --Katharine, St. Simons Island, GA

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"For the last six years I had the honor to work as a vocational assessment specialist, testing disabled students to establish what jobs they could perform in the workforce. These teens had physical, mental, emotional or severe learning disabilities. I tested students from four counties, seven school districts and two states.  By helping them discover their skill strengths, I helped them become employable.

At the end of this last school year I was notified that due to budget constraints, my position would be cut.

I loved my job, not just because my students were great, but because I knew that by doing this job I was helping these children stay off of public assistance.

Yes, I'm worried about my own family and our finances but I also worry about the hundreds of students in northern Kentucky that won't be told what skills they can have that they can use to be independent taxpayers." --Rene, Covington, KY

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"I have been underemployed for over two years now when the school district cut the amount of days I am allowed to work. Having very little options I was forced to file Bankruptcy this year after unsucessfully fighting with my lender to modify my loan. I am one emergency away from being on the street. I can only count my blessings and I know many people are not as forunate as I have been. The situation at work is so bad I am afraid if more job cuts occur that Education as an institution will never recover" --Frank, Los Angeles, CA

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"Our special needs child started high school last year.  That in itself was a struggle for him.  His disability makes any kind of change difficult for him...Our son was fortunate enough to have a wonderful teacher who soothed his fears (and ours).  She connected with him and became a true mentor to him like he had never had before.  She helped him overcome so much and we saw him blossom into a young man excited about school and life...That excitement soon turned to panic again over the summer: she had received a layoff notice.  We were angry, confused, and again very fearfull for our son, just at a very critical point in his academic career...This year was a make or break year, and without his special teacher to help him, we can already see the decline in his mental state.  One less teacher cannot possibly balance the budget, but it can huge difference in the lives and futures of so many students.  Stability, and the future that could give him, is all we asked for." --Riis, Bellingham, WA

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"Throughout my teaching career I worked in buildings where we placed pails to catch the rain water coming through the roof, and in 'temporary' bungalows with no insulation. I remember standing in line in the basement to obtain 2 pieces of chalk and a 1/2 inch worth of paper for my poverty stricken students each day. For a while, class size did go down, but it's back up again. This lack of actually paying for what we should be doing is a long story, not a new story.

Here in Sonoma County our libraries are cutting days and hours, leaving people without access to the internet and job search resources. Our schools have laid off teachers, class size has grown, fewer resources are available to our children and it's been going like this since before the last 'recession'. I hear people saying we should keep the libraries open with 'volunteers' and interns. I say, we need real jobs for these folks, with decent wages..." --Sara, Sebastopol, CA

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"For 25 years I've been doing one thing or another in the construction trades, carpentry, glazing, drywall and whatever else needed to be done. I've spent the better part of my career working non-union, but I became a union member when I had the opportunity. Everywhere I go I see roads, bridges, buildings both public and private crumbling..." --Bruce, Derry, NH

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"I am a 56 year old woman, laid off in 2008, which was a good business decision at the time by my previous employer.  The construction market had really just dried up in this area. I have been an customer service/operations manager for 16 of my 39 years of employment for 4 companies.  Not a job hopper, I do not have a 4 year degree, but an AA and years of experience in training, hiring, sales, marketing, payroll, benefits and operations including warehousing and inventory.  After 1861 applications and pounding the pavements and dropping off resumes to those that still accept walk ins, you start to get the feeling that if you made a living wage and are over 40, you might as well be put out to pasture.  I have been 1-1/2 years with no benefits, no income whatsoever and living with a friend. I find it so hard to believe that: a) anyone thinks that minimum wage is a living wage even at 40 hours a week, and that b) after 39 years of full time work, I can suddenly be so  unemployable. Anyone starting their careers in the early 70's through today cannot be considered untrainable.  We went from manual typewriters, telex machines to the computer age of dumb terminals and pcs.  We all learned, we all adapted, and this was long after all of us would have graduated college.

We need help, we need jobs and we need employers to see that we are still can be vital to many organizations.  Times constantly change as does technology, people do change with it and grow.

PA/NJ offers no training for those in my situation. After three years of unemployment and no income, I cannot possibly think of taking out a loan to go back to school without a job that would pay that loan and help me contribute to the house I am lucky enough to live in, but to also help get health insurance and save a little for retirement which for me is only 12 years away." --MaryKay, Mantua, NJ

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"My husband and I have been married for 42 years and we have two grown children who followed our advise and went on for higher education.  They are both under employed and our youngest child despite a masters degree in public policy and 7 years direct experience in child welfare has been unable to secure full time employment.  He currently does not have health insurance and is buying $800 worth of medication from Canada every 3 months.  He has $80,000 in education debt and no way to even begin to repay it.  He had hoped to work for a non- profit agency and have some of this loan forgiven after 10 years of service.  We are helping him to survive this difficult time but even with up to 3 part time jobs which are unpredictable in terms of hours and income, he is not able to support himself at age 32. I know he feels demoralized and despite constant applications and his share of interviews, the competition is simply eroding his sense of confidence and destroying any future  security.  We are trying to help but have both retired and are now working part time jobs .  Despite years of planning and saving,  I don't know what to advise our children anymore and frankly, they don't want our advise anymore." --Helen, East Greenbush, NY

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"I've been a business development professional in the Biotechnology arena for more than 20 years. I was laid off due to a business downturn, and I have now been unemployed for 12 months. In my entire 30 year career it has not taken more than 60 days to secure a new position until now." --Don, Benicia, CA

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"I worked at a manufacturing company for 16 years, and would possibly have retired from there had it lasted until my retirement age. Unfortunately, it did not. In fact, the division I worked at was not closed due to being deficient, but because we were among the last profitable business units in the company. Our parent company was in debt to the banks, and then the market and economy tanked. They were forced to sell off all assets. That meant our division.

All the good people at my division worked tirelessly to make it lean and tight. Our reward was being sold to our competition. Our facility was dismantled, all personnel were laid off, and I had the agonizing task of helping disassemble some of the same systems I'd helped to grow and maintain over the years.

It's been a struggle ever since. I am currently enrolled in the Eastbay Works program in an attempt to reinvent myself, or at least find meaningful employment. Since my last days at that company in 2005, I've attempted to work for myself in various capacities, and for other companies. I have yet to find a compatible match. Fortunately, I am a veteran, and am in the VA medical system. So, I can utilize that benefit should the need arise. I do worry about keeping my home, paying my mortgage, keeping my car running, and such.

With my retirement savings dwindling, the future is uncertain..." --Tom, Hercules, CA

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"I have been struggling to find a full time job since I graduated from San Jose State University in 2005. From 2008 to 2011 I worked as a volunteer and was paid part time at a non profit. I am part of those 25-34 still living with their parents. I have been the last couple of years applying for jobs in data entry, and as an office and admin assistant.  I haven't received an response to interview except for one job. They won't hire me because I don't have enough work experience, but I am suppose to get work experience if they don't hire me." --Allan, San Jose, CA

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"My factory (Ball Metals) in Kansas City, Mo closed in May 2009. I have been looking for work ever since then. My house went into foreclosure. I was able to save it getting Obamas save your home loan. I am going to school to learn administrative support assistant. The full employment council is paying for my cerificate. I was hoping learning some other type of skill would make me more employable. Since I ran out of unemployment in June 2011 I have had to apply for my social security. I am 62 years old. I did not want to draw it early because I will take such a reduction of benefits. I wanted to keep working, but have been unsuccessful. There are just too many applying for too few jobs. I know that there is age discrimination laws, but I am not even getting a call back or any interviews. I have cut every thing out of my life that is not essential. Falling from middle class, having a good job and supporting three generations in my household it is hard to accept and face  where we are now." --Diana, Lees Summit, MO

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"I am an Ivy League graduate who worked for AT&T and its spinoff, Lucent Technologies, for 27 years. When the tech bubble collapsed 10 years ago, not only did my job disappear, but most of the comparable jobs in similar companies vanished. I have marketing and technical skills, experience in overseas markets, managerial experience and I cannot find work. People my age are not even getting interviews for the few real jobs on the market. I am struggling to start over in an entry-level commission-only sales job, at a time when I should have been in my peak earning years. While I may be luckier than some, the jobs issue is much broader and deeper than construction, education, or job training." --C.C., Rockaway, NJ

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"Having been laid off in 2009 by a company that was merging (being acquired) and then taking a contract job with a competitor that wanted to hire me (except for a job freeze and an employee on a disability coming and going). Then they got acquired and I was laid off again.

 Not having a bachelors degree, nor even an AA - although the equivalent in classes. Not being young - and sometimes you can see it in the recruiter's or interviewer's eyes (even though it's illegal) is frustrating. 

 I would take training if I can get a job that can at least pay the bills - I live frugally as a single parent, but getting a job that pays less than UI and you have more taxes just doesn't work.

 I'm also in the midst of trying to figure my child's college options out while on Unemployment - how can you get and pay back loans if you're unemployed."  --Cindy, San Pablo, CA

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"I have been unemployed for over 2 years now. I was in the mortgage industry for 25 years and my company I worked for closed when the mortgage industry went down.  I have sent out thousands of resumes but no response to any of them.  I am 61 years old and no one will hire me at this age. 

...I have lived in my house for 39 years and I will be forced to sell if I cannot get a job very soon.  I have no more savings and can't even seem to get a part time job.  I see no future for me in the work place anymore and it is very hard for me to accept.  I have been working since I was 14 years old and never had a problem getting a job until now..."  --Marleen, West Caldwell, NJ

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"I'm a warehouse worker I've been at this profession for 25 years. I got layoff in Jan. 2009. I'm still looking for work today. I don't what to relocate because I have my own home which right now is in question. I'm going on 50 yrs of age and I think that is my down fall and also keeping up with the modern times when it comes to my profession. So far I'm still collecting UI benefits but when that runs out. I don't now what I will do? I can't sell my home because no one will buy and if they do I will have to sell it at a loss..."  --Bob, Providence, RI

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"...I can't get a job. No matter what I've been doing I can't find a job. It makes no sense because I am: college graduate, decent portfolio, can use Adobe products. All I can't do is program, which is a web designer's job(which really should not be combined just because the economy is in a crunch).

 I've been shortchanged because they check my credit rather then my credientials. Yes I'm a graduate. Yes I went into debt to better myself for the future...but does that mean I should be cast out because I got 150k in debt for my education? Should I be treated as a leper because I wanted to become something better; and then the market collapsed?...."  --Elizabeth, Woodbridge, VA

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"I am a 3rd Generation Sheet Metal Worker in the Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware area and this my story. I started my apprenticeship in 1988 and attended school for 4 years where I learned the trade of Sheet Metal Worker. I had worked pretty steady during my 20 plus years up until July 5, 2010 that was my last day of employment. I am a very skilled and educated worker with many years left to help build this great nation...I am on my 2nd tier of unemployment and at 44 years old with 2 sons in school and near college age what do I say to them. What American Dream!!" --William, Sicklerville, NJ

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"I've have been unemployed for a little over 2yrs, I am a single parent. I exhausted my unemployment in march so I have no source of income, I have been on several interviews however I feel that becaused I've been unemployed for some time now it is being held against me. I am many months behind on my rent I HAVE NOTHING AND NEED HELP..." --Stephani, Concord, CA

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"My son is an operating engineer and has not been called to work for two years while our streets and roads are getting dangerous with all the cracks and holes.  Isn't it time we put America back to work?" --Michaeline, Crest Hill, IL

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"We have one daughter. She did well in the Rochester (NY) City Schools' School of the Arts, graduated from the University of Rochester with a honors BA in Art History in the archeology program and with minors in political science and Arabic. She worked as an archeology field technician. She heard all sorts of stories about the decline (the rapid decline is a much better description) in the performance of U.S. high school students in reading skills, mathematics, and science. She went back to school and received a cum-laude BS degree in Earth Science and Secondary Science Education with certification to teach secondary general science and earth science, and excelled in her student teaching experiences in two inner-city high schools. She has been trying to get a science teaching job for more than 18 months and is met with the same stories about teachers not retiring, schools reducing their teaching in science, and the loss of funding to hire new faculty. What do I tell my  daughter, her boy friend (similar story in Mathematics), her friends, and students with whom I interact at a major, public, research university?" -- Fred, Rochester, NY

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"I chose education because when I started my tertiary education in 2000 because there was a critical need for science teachers, and a projected shortage for all types of teachers over the next 10-15 years.  When the economy tanked, and education took a massive hit. I was a teacher (Science, 3 years) and am currently graduate (Ed.D., Curriculum) student in education. There will be no jobs for me when I graduate in May. 

"My brother is a teacher, and got laid off two years in a row for no reason other than being "new".  Classrooms in Chicago and the suburbs are over crowded, and often, above legal capacity.  The state (IL) doesn't pay its debts to districts. There are  hiring freezes, and retirements without replacements; class sizes have skyrocketed, teacher pay has been frozen or cut, benefits have disappeared, and programs were eliminated or reduced. Test scores that were already low are falling even farther.

"Children can't be educated in overcrowded classrooms with under-prepared and unsupported staff.  HS grads can't afford to go to universities, and those that attend can't find jobs after to pay their loans. Yet, we are graduating thousands of new teachers each year.  What will they do- deliver pizzas?

"The situation is dismal and getting worse.  Everyone (Students, Teachers, Staff) feels hopeless, helpless, and voiceless." -- Christi, Chicago, IL

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"I am a Member Coordinator with Working America in Milwaukee WI, I talk every night to people who have been affected by the jobs crisis and have seen the impact it has had on our surrounding community.

"I recently spoke with a woman named Sherry who lost her job as a full-time educator, to make ends meet she is teaching one class a day in three different schools. Each class that she teaches has more than 40 elementary or middle school students in it and she has said that she worries she is not being as effective of a teacher as possible because it is hard to hand out the individual attention each student needs. Another woman from Milwaukee, Jennifer, that I spoke to recently was laid-off from her job as a reading specialist within the Milwaukee Public School system. In a school system with so many problems she was worried about what would happen to some of the kids who did not have any help at home from parents who were working several jobs just to make ends meet. She is now volunteering several days a week at the school she used to be paid to teach at, only now she does it for free because she was so worried about the well-being and future of her students. These woman are  struggling through without a job, but are still focusing on the needs of the students they taught more than they are focusing on what they will do without a job." --Carrie, Milwaukee, WI

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"We have insufficient funding at our school to adequately meet the needs of our students.  We have no one to plan Senior Activities.   All the Staff is stretched thin.  We are all dedicated but we all are asked to in creasingly do jobs of more than one person." --Julie, Brooklyn, NY

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"I was laid off as a corporate Recruiter in Nov. of 2009. I have had three contract jobs that lasted around 6 weeks each since. I have been  unemployed for a total of 16 months since then. I suppose if I laid people off for a living I might have a job right now. I have considered going back to school for a graduate degree but am told I am overqualified as it is. Overqualified?!? I have also experienced discrimination because I am unemployed. There is an erroneous perception that if people are high performers, they wouldn't be out of work. When I work as a Corporate Recruiter hiring Managers tell me they only want to see resumes of employed people. I have a BA degree and 9 years of experience and have been unable to find work. This recession seems like it is lasting years and the economy is not improving, but getting worse. We need comprehensive reform to bring our jobs back stateside." --Alaina, San Diego, CA