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Things 'They' Don't Tell You About Unemployment

We have been laughing with OddTodd (Click the link and watch the cartoon; believe me, it's a slice of unemployment reality. Warning: contains mild language). When my hubby was working, my role, in addition to working outside the home, was the care and feeding of my very own Techy. It was at times demanding and frustrating but the breakthroughs I made in understanding this weird I ( mean that in the best possible sense) creature was rewarding--especially on payday. Now, my role is new and much more challenging, in a bad way. If the upkeep of an *employed* Techy is difficult, try the upkeep of an *unemployed* Techy. Especially one with Broadband Internet and lots of time to kill. That is a dangerous combination, believe me.

But seriously, all this is opening up my eyes to the reality of the current job market. No longer is the computer industry the stable, well-paying industry it was up until the dot-com bubble burst a few years ago. The advice that well-meaning guidance counsellors gave to countless high school students was that 'if you want to make some money, computers are the way to go'. Well, it's kind of looking like it isn't really that way, at least from our perspective. I'm sure I can Google for statistics and all that sort of dry-as-toast information but that's kind of boring. Instead, I'll try to keep it to what I've vicariously observed happening in our ordinary, working-class lives. That is much more interesting than statistics.

Tony Blair et al are saying that the UK economy is vibrant, growing, and getting better. We beg to differ. I think there's a real false-economy happening. Like I said several posts ago, during my WalMart rant, I fear that the jobs that are being created are low-to-mid-level skilled jobs, like retail, clerical, and the call centres (which, I've noticed, are popping up like mushrooms after a bad rain around Warrington). They don't pay a whole lot, and they're kind of sucky jobs. The higher-skilled jobs such as Techies are out there, but we're finding out it's an employers' market so these companies who are looking for potential workers can ask for a list of skills required for a particular job which are as long as your arm, but aren't paying an appropriate wage. For example, G has pointed out to me several jobs which sound promising but require Microsoft and Cisco Certification, longterm experience managing a large department in the computer industry, experience working with Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulators (just kidding), but the wages are only something like £15 000/year. And these certifications they're asking for cost megabucks to attain in the first place, so only a lucky few candidates even have them. But to complicate matters, there have been documented cases on the news over here that companies are outsoursing tech support and skilled positions to places like India and Eastern Europe, presumably to save on wages.

So Unemployed Techies, including my husband, throughout the UK troll trough the online job boards and register with the appropriate agencies on a daily basis, looking for possible positions to apply for in order to get that lucritive Great New Job. G's been applying for around 10 jobs a week, and the companies he's fired off his resume to haven't even acknowledged via an email or phone call that they received his application--something I always thought was common courtesy. And some of the jobs he's applied for keep popping up, as-yet-unfilled, over and over again. So what the heck are these companies looking for, exactly? One talented chap from G's former workplace is now working in a warehouse just to have some money coming in. He can't find anything, either. And on the UK job search bulletin boards which G subscribes to, some Unemployed Techies say they've been out of work for a year, even though they've applied for loads of jobs. A WHOLE YEAR. All that wasted ability and talent which isn't exactly contributing to British society. I know Canadian firms face 'the brain drain' of workers to the USA, which is hurting the economy, but this is just weird. Is the grass truly greener over in Canada than it is here? I don't know. I'm afriad if we did pack up and move back that it wouldn't be.

This is pretty depressing stuff, but still my very own Unemployed Techy keeps slogging away at applying for things and I still keep cheering him on. But the letdowns hurt. At times it's hard to keep the ol' chin up and look at things optimistically. It's been two months now. It's been draining on us, emotionally and financially (of course). It's hard to know how to support my husband, even though growing up in an area that relied on a boom-and-bust economy, I have seen what it can do to people and a community. But it has never hit home like this.

People have said 'well, just go on the dole'. Yeah, right. We've checked it out but dismissed it right away--we wouldn't get it. I'm working 'too many hours' (seriously!) and we have savings (so until we have no money, we wouldn't even get considered). Plus it's a pretty humiliating thing to do and we haven't got to that point yet. We have our pride. Plus, even if we did go on it, we'd only get about £50/week which ain't much.

So still we slog on, still hopeful, still waiting for that magic phone call.....