Older Worker Unemployment Falls

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The resume needed for these jobs they’re referring to requires the following verbal skills:
Welcome to Wal*Mart.
Do you want fries with that?
Etc…
Being underemployed is just as dangerous and reckless to the economy as being unemployed.

say no more of IL 5:20PM December 22, 2009

I was a business owner with 27 plus years in the same business and owner for more than 12 years and when I closed my employess counted as unemployed and received benefits, I was not counted and did not receive benefits, despite paying taxes for it. My sister also lost her business which she had for about 10 years. She is working as a temp for the census, and after more than 18 months of looking I have had no job offer. This, despite being told on several occassions in the interview that I was qualified for the position. I recently applied for 3 jobs which I am completely qualified for, meeting every requirement, if I do not get an offer from these last 3 I am going to try to go back into some kind of business. The figures for the older unemployment "decline" are complete and total BS. The people have stopped looking. Even I am going to stop, what is the point? I am now 54 the people I interview with are still wet behind the ears, half don't even know what questions are legal to ask, and many have never made any real hiring decisions. I have no doubt my experience would be invaluable to any employer, but they don't really want it. They say things like, "Why would you want to work?" or "What are your doing here?" or "You must be pretty set by now." or "Boy, I sure would never want to go back if I had been out of work as long as you." I mean it is nuts. I have indicated I am flexible in salary requirements; I am cordial and business-like. Almost all of them ask me for advice or an opinion about a problem they have in their job, and I provide a friendly thougtful response. So, now my wife is killing herself to pay the bills, and the kids just out of college need support, and I am supposed to be disposable because I have gray hair? Yah sure the unemployment rate is down BS.

El Zorro of NY 10:30PM November 09, 2009

I happened to attend my 45th high school reunion this past weekend. People are chosing retirement because there are no other real choices.

Jim of MA 8:26PM August 18, 2009

I am a 51 year old woman....have woeked since I was 16
years old. I am single and raised two children, I worked
as a transit driver since 1988,loved my job, and when I
got injured in 2003,I still worked until I could not
any more, after trying to even go back to my job I could not,between workers comp, social sercurity,looking
for work,not having an income for over a year and
trying to move to cheaper place to live really depressed
me.and even now I went through the retraining and now I am a National certified phlebotomist, I am still out of
work.medically I can only work part time on certain jobs
per social sercurity...but they won't even grant that to
me.I am a medical examiner for insurance co.making less
than $300.00 a month.If my daughter was not living with me I would be homless by now. what I do not understand
is when a person is injured on a job... and they are retrained why are they not helped to get a job place-
ment... like the do drug offenders they find them really
good jobs.so what is a person suppose to do... at our
age....Someone Please Help us older,Injured,laidoff,
workers.
ms baker