What if the Unemployment Office were unemployed?

[Kennah]

Here in Washington state, it's ESD, Employment Security Department.

WorkSource is a partnership between ESD, labor, business, colleges, etc. Among other things, they have a twice a week Job Club in which they bring in presenters. I think a lot of us go thinking we'll get a job lead, but not a lot pans out. Mostly I've come to realize a lot of people are REALLY angry and this is often just a forum to vent. Rampant ageism, recruiters never call you back, never hear back whether you got the job or not, staffing companies who seem like they are all but vapor, and many seem to believe, myself included, a lot of employers are fishing but just throwing most or even all of what they catch back to drive down any expectation in wages. Make people happy with minimum wage, then some genius will propose lowering it.

It's a royal kick in the arse that people who traditionally have never needed a resume or a computer to get a job (carpenters, electricians, cashiers, fork lift operators, etc.) now need both. Increasingly I'm thinking this is just a placebo because ESD knows there really are no jobs out there, and it's just an easy way to keep people from doing something revolutionary by telling them "You have to tailor the resume to the job".

Woman from ESD indicated she's thinking she'll get laid off as the state trims it's budget. Have to wonder if benefit checks will still flow when cuts hit ESD.

[MADem]

1. Ironically, when times are good, that's when the Unemployment Department workers get their pink slip

Often they'll slide over to another government office, but when everyone's working, they don't need as many caseworkers.

[napoleon_in_rags]

2. Its totally placebo.

Not that its necessarily their fault, the jobs really aren't there. But yeah, I went in their some time ago, and said look, I have this computer science degree that's stagnating in my current field, get me something in the CS field and I'll happily work it part time at minimum wage for experience...programming, databases, whatever you want. The guy seemed like he had too many Red Bulls, and talked about making money through Google ads on sites. Said he'd look, but I never got a call back. I just can't believe there isn't SOMEBODY in Washington state who wants a computer guy who can deliver the goods for prices lower than the same guy in Mumbai. The wheels aren't hitting the road with employment.

[Kennah]

4. Oh, I totally don't blame ESD workers

Much like soldiers during WWI who had more in common with their "enemy" than their own officers and commanders and leaders, ESD and the unemployed are separated only by a pink slip.

I don't have the degree, but I have 20 years as an application developer. In my latest "cyberstalking efforts" to get a job, I've even cited my helpdesk experience (back to 1987, and even high school), helpdesk like tasks over the years, and hardware troubleshooting.

Programming, databases, data mining, ETL, ODS, VBA, QA, helpdesk, PC troubleshooting, I'll do it for much less than I was getting before.

On the whole outsourcing thing, hourly rates might be cheaper, but the TCO is way cheaper (IMHO) for someone local. Sitting across the table from another human being, with similar cultural references, comprehension of hand gestures, body language, facial expressions, pantomiming, etc. can sometimes be a challenge to effective communicate "Is this what you want?" Over the phone and via Email to someone half a world away, faggedaboudit.

[DeadEyeDyck]

3. wouldn't that mean that we were all employed?