“I start at 8 o’clock every day looking for a job and I usually quit by 2 p.m. because I am so disgusted,” she says somberly from inside the Georgia Department of Labor. Taylor says she stays prayed up to fortify her spirit against the accumulating clouds of uncertainty.
Unfortunately, Taylor is not alone.
Despite the fact that the Obama administration and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke say the American economy has mercifully bottomed out and is currently on an upswing, millions of African Americans are suffering from the cumulative effects caused by the prolonged marketplace slump. Many job seekers have been looking for a job for months, even years, and are willing to try just about anything or go anywhere to try to find gainful employment.
Taylor says that temporary employment offered by temp services is a double-edged sword: while she is grateful for the income stream, most of the temp jobs she’s gotten don’t last more than a month and it is extremely taxing to keep trying to restart her unemployment checks just to survive.
Sheila Hightower, manager at the Georgia Department of Labor Career Center in DeKalb County, Ga., says the economy is on a slight upward trajectory, even if job seekers are not yet able to discern it.
“We can see a difference [with the President Obama’s stimulus package]. We have employers contacting us now for employment opportunities,” she says. “We do recruitments for the employer process where the employer can come into our location and interview clients for jobs. We’ve had an increase in that. We’ve noticed we’ve had a slowdown in the traffic coming in filing unemployment claims, too.” –terry shropshire
Linda Taylor:
How long have you been
out of work?
[I’ve been] looking for a job for a little over a year.
What were you doing
prior to getting laid off?
[I was a] techs processor for Bank of America. We got laid off and
reduced in size. That was in 2008. Here it is 2009. I’ve been doing temp jobs
that don’t last over a month and a half.
What did you lose or
have to cut back on because of being out of work?
I had to cut back on my car expenses, eating habits,
activities, going out. Had to cut back on gas, leisure. I’m just at home much
more — [watching] movies. I like to go clubbing every now and then. No more of that.
Are you getting
trained to enter new industries?
As a matter of fact, I took up a C.N.A. course. But it goes
a little further than that. You have to have money to get certified with the
state. I’m working on that career. I’m thinking about [going into] the child
care industry.
Do you think President
Barack Obama is doing enough to stimulate the economy?
[The] president is there for us. He’s doing as much as he can do.
What do you do to keep
yourself encouraged?
I stay prayed up. I have to keep God in my
life. And I do have support from the church. Lot
of my church members, they keep me going. So I stay prayed up. My motivation
[is to] just keep looking.
Eugenia Samuels:
How hard have you been looking for work?
I’ve put out over 100 applications. Unfortunately, I have yet
to land another position.
What have you had to
sacrifice?
Well, I used to skate every week. Unfortunately, I don’t do
that anymore. I’ve gotten behind in paying my bills since work has not been
steady. I have troubling keeping gas in the car.
Do you believe the
Obama stimulus package is helping?
I don’t even see where the stimulus package is even working.
It’s a good idea that he is trying to offer health care for those who are
unemployed. It would be great if he can hurry up and pass that ‘cause I need
health insurance. Because right now, I draw too much money from unemployment to
get Medicaid. So it’s really hard right now.
I just got laid off from the IRS. So I’m back here
trying to reinstate my unemployment so that I can pay SOME bills. I can’t pay
all of them, but I’ll be able to pay something.
Ryan Davidson:
How long have you been out of work?
[I’m] with a temp agency. Whenever they have a job in my field,
they will call me. The last time I worked was in December … [it was] the last time I
had a full-time job.
A
re you willing to change careers?
If it’s the type of job they can train you, I would
be willing to do that.
What have you had to sacrifice?
Really and truly, sacrificing was a house that I was paying
for. And I had to downsize to an apartment.
Did you go out before?
No. [I] kept it simple.
Have you had to sacrifice anything?
Besides my house, no.
How are you make yourself more marketable?
I’m kind of going out more, job hunting. I used to just
apply online to different jobs. It’s kind of like going from the basis of your
expience.
Is the Obama administration doing enough?
He’s working it, but it’s not going to be soon. It’s going
to take some time for everything to work out.
Adonis Ehui:
How long have you been out of work?
[I’ve] been out of work since February. [I’m] still looking for a job.
What are you doing to find work?
Sometimes I just go out there, fill out a few applications,
drop off a few resumes, go online and stuff like that. But still [I’ve gotten]
no answers.
What did you do before?
I was a power tool technician. I also used to work on
computers and scanners and fax machines. So basically I’m looking for something
in that field.
Are you willing to change careers?
Oh, yeah, if someone gives me the chance, I’ll happily take
it.
Do you think the Obama administration is doing enough?
Oh yeah, I think he’s doing enough. I mean, it’s not going to
be solved [overnight]. But it’s work that everyone has to put in for this to work. My wife is a schoolteacher so I am depending on her. We just have to cut back
on how much we are able to eat out. I heard about this program, called Georgia
Works. It helps you find a job. And they train you.
