80,000 job losses, unemployment spikes

money.cnn.com

3 pointsgongfudoi2 comments

"It's not going to be a lot of fun. Recessions are never fun"

I laughed when I read that.

What I would actually be interested in, though, is a study on how difficult it is for the unemployed sector to find jobs if they are completely open to relocating, retraining, etc. It was one of the things I couldn't understand when watching Moore's "Roger & Me" (though not the only thing I was frustrated with, to be sure): Why, if you can only pay for one more month's rent, at which point you will be kicked to the curb, and there is absolutely NO hope of finding a job in your own town, would you pay that month's rent? Why wouldn't you take the money and make a last ditch effort a few towns over, where the chances of becoming employed are higher?

There are lots of reasons someone would not want to leave their current desperate circumstances for another location. People have family and social support networks which won't make the transition. Sometimes even finding transportation is a barrier. Fear of the unknown can also be very strong. Hopelessness can make one believe that no amount of effort will fix the situation, and that moving to a new area will do no good. And some people just... give up. It's so easy to get caught up in our struggles that we forget to look for a way out.

Personally I've moved many times - since I was a child my family moved every three or four years. We all have the wanderlust. Some of it was for education, some of it was for new jobs, and honestly sometimes it was because we wanted a change of pace. I have a hard time fully comprehending it but I've met many people over the years who are born, and will live, retire, and die in the same town where their parents did the same.

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