Get ready for an attack on the unemployed.
With the economy improving and more companies hiring, people who are desperate to find a job finally have some opportunities. Yet there's still a generous government safety net in place for the unemployed, including federal programs that extend jobless benefits for up to 99 weeks. And now, there's growing anecdotal evidence that people who might be able to get jobs are choosing to live on the dole rather than work.
[Photo Gallery: Not Giving Up: Jobless Keep Looking for Work.]
Surveys by the National Federation of Independent Business, for instance, show that small businesses are finally becoming more optimistic and hiring more workers. But of those that are hiring, 76 percent said recently that they can't find qualified applicants for the openings they have. Part of the reason, not surprisingly, is that people lack the right skills or work history. But business owners also report that 16 percent of the applicants they reject have poor social skills, 20 percent have unrealistic expectations about pay, and 14 percent have a poor appearance. "This is a surprise," NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg wrote in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer commentary, "since the applicant can largely control those factors."
Business owners also say that some job applicants want to get paid under the table, so they can continue to collect jobless benefits. A recent story by CNN Money highlighted a manufacturing firm in Wisconsin that has started to lock out job applicants it suspects of showing up just so they can say they looked for work—a requirement for anybody receiving jobless benefits. Another business owner, in Illinois, said in the same story that her company needs to hire 45 to 50 new salespeople, but struggles with workers who quit after getting free training, or who try to get fired after a few months of work so they can re-qualify for unemployment insurance. The company has now hired a specialist to help weed out phonies and identify worthwhile applicants.
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5 comments:
you think unemployment abuse is new?
You can have 5 kids, 5 different fathers, and you get unemployment, cell phone, food stamps, subsidized housing, cheap electric, and still drive your new Escalade.
This article is just odd. I have a very well educated friend, great social skills, very smart, looks great in a suit, has a masters degree, and can't find a decent job due to a stupid pot charge he recieved when he was 22. BTW, it was just possession of a small amount, not growing or dealing or anything to that nature. He is ready and willing to work, but can't.
6:06 PM
He should get it expunged then.
As someone who deals with hiring locally, skilled labor is in short supply here on Delmarva. 60% of people looking for a job here can't pass criminal background checks or a drug test. Most of the rest have no skills at all.
Anon: 6:05pm
You can't get unemployment unless you've worked in the past.
As for the other nonsense, prove it.
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