“Unemployment: Who’s been hit the hardest?”

Actually this is an easy question with a very easy answer. The unemployed. Yup, that’s who’s been hit the hardest by unemployment. Loss of income. Healthcare benefits at risk. Lifestyle changes. Sleepless nights. You get the idea; you’ve probably been there.

Yeah, I know, that’s not what the article is investigating – what the writer means is which group of people is more unemployed than the rest of us. Question: Do you think those that are unemployed care which “group” has the highest unemployment rate? Is this the state of our country that we have to compare misery? Or make sure it’s spread around equally? (Actually….ummm…yes, I guess it is.)

So let me give you the real answer to our question. Again, it’s very easy…it’s teenagers. Yessir, teenagers are suffering through an unemployment epidemic – 26.9 percent of Americans age 16-19 are unemployed (as of March 2010). How can that be fair?? OK, on the serious side, why in the world are unemployment figures for teens reported? Are they heads of households? Are they primary breadwinners? Seriously?

No, the REAL, real answer to who has been hit the hardest by the rise in unemployment is:

By Race – African Americans (15.8% unemployment)
By Gender – Men (10% unemployment)

The only “winners” at this point appear to be Caucasian women over 20 years old – only 7.4 percent are unemployed. Those who are the worst off appear to be African-American males over 20 years old – 16.2 percent are unemployed. And on and on the list goes – identifying group after group with their “standing” in the unemployment line. Feeling any better now that you know? Probably not – unless, of course, you’re a white woman over twenty.

On the other hand, there is one group you really SHOULD know about. As it turns out, workers with a Bachelor’s degree have an unemployment rate of only 5 percent. Those with only a high school diploma, on the other hand, have an unemployment rate of 11.5 percent – over twice as high. If you haven’t graduated high school, close to one-in-five of you are looking for a job (17.9 percent unemployed).

The real lesson here is simple. If you are lucky enough to have a job, get off the couch. Ditch the Wii or the XBox. Cancel your Blockbuster account. Find a way – any way – to get that college degree. Finding employment is more and more competitive every day, but if you can double your chances of finding a quality job by getting a college education, you should strongly consider making that happen.

Yeah, I hear you screaming at your computer. “A college education? I don’t have that kind of money!!!” Hey, I get it. So, if you need something or someone to blame, that’s probably a good place to start. On the other hand, there are loads of examples of people who got their degrees when others said it couldn’t be done. Try this story. Or this one.

Maybe – just maybe – you could do the same.

“Sometimes, life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

For job seekers, this is something akin to a Mission Statement, but these words of wisdom were addressed to a Stanford University graduating class by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple (you can see the entirety of his message in the video below).

Losing a job can certainly feel like you’ve been hit in the head with a brick, and the inability to quickly find a replacement job just prolongs the pain. What Jobs suggests in his speech is that the difficulties one faces, in any area of life, will ultimately pay dividends in the future – in terms of lessons learned or wisdom created by those experiences. This small insight can be an encouragement when you’ve just been laid off and your job hunting efforts have gone unrewarded.

Unfortunately, many people tend to look at successful people (like Jobs) and surmise that they have no idea what it means to struggle or find a job or get fired. The truth is usually far different. Jobs, for example, was adopted, never finished college, and struggled early in his career. He talks about his very public dismissal from the very company he founded. Yet he later recognized that getting fired ultimately payed huge dividends in terms of his current success. As we discussed previously, failure can be very instructive – even essential to long-term success.

I have recently watched a family member struggle to find a job. He has met with little success despite a college education, a good resume, and plenty of talent. The toughest part is watching him deal with rejection and self-doubt. I have watched as the luster has faded from his self-confidence. This is really where the rubber meets the road – to paraphrase the late Yogi Berra: 90 percent of job hunting is half mental. You can choose to let the process be corrosive, or, as Job suggests, you can keep the faith.

Your struggles are not a commentary on your value. How you handle those struggles, however, is a commentary on your character.

“You’ve got to find what you love…the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work…love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.”  Steve Jobs

We’ve heard it for years, we grew up with it being pounded into our heads: Education, education, education.  Stay in school, go to college so you can get a degree and get a good job.  These were the words from our youth, and they can still be heard today.  The world is changing at a fast pace thanks to technology so the question remains: do you really need a college degree?

Historically, those with more education have seen less unemployment. According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, unemployment rates for individuals with a college education has ranged from 2% to about 5% since 2008, compared to a range of 4.7% to 11% for those with only a high school diploma.  However, this trend has worsened in the current job market. According to this article published last summer, only about 19.7% who graduated from college were able to find a job, down from a whopping 51% in 2007.

Common sense dictates that, no you do not always need a college degree to get a good, well-paying job, or to be considered successful.  And not everyone is cut out for college.  Check out this list of 100 entrepreneurs who, for one reason or another did not receive a college degree.  Some very successful, and influential names—past and present—can be found there.

The people listed above followed their hearts, seemingly abandoning the conventional wisdom, and look where that got them. Author Ray Bradbury, in Zen in the Art of Writing, counsels a person to “look to his zest, to see his gusto…” in order to “rush him along the road to where he wants to go…”. Though he was speaking to writers, it is sound advice to anyone seeking real fulfillment in life instead of simply a paycheck.

Throughout human history it has often been those individuals who buck the trends that leave the deepest impressions on the future. At the end of the day if one is following their heart, who is to say they are on the wrong path?

Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.

Hasidic Saying

Being unemployed can seem downright hopeless at times, but it isn’t the end of the world. Donald Trump, Larry King, and even Jerry Seinfeld have all been unemployed, but they all managed to go on to new things, land new jobs, and achieve success. They’ve also learned a few secrets to success the hard way, so you don’t have to.

Larry King

Most of us know Larry King for his interviews with the rich and famous, but he was also a columnist for the Miami Herald. As part of his job, he would go to lunch with friends and collect information for his column. The paper was not happy about this. They complained he wrote about his friends too frequently and fired him.

It was a devastating blow, but Larry didn’t let it beat him. His friends and contacts played a huge role in his ability to overcome his job loss and the personal bankruptcy that followed. Today, he’s one of the most famous people in television. The lesson? Don’t be afraid to rely on your network of friends, colleagues, and professional connections.

King says that being fired was a tragedy, but it was also an opportunity to make positive changes in his life. He truly believes how you look at a situation and the choices you make after a bad experience make all the difference.

Sounds like a lot of new-age hogwash, but it makes sense when you think about it. Sitting on the couch, eating Cheetos, and watching Jerry Springer isn’t going to help you land your dream job. You have plenty of time, so use it to create a plan and execute it. Put yourself in a situation that will help you reach your goals and get the job you’ve always wanted. After all, if you don’t do it, someone else will.

50-Cent

Rapper 50-Cent makes approximately $41 million dollars a year with his music, clothing, special appearances, and promotions, but it wasn’t always that way. Before he became a huge rap star, he worked as a drug dealer in Queens, NY, resulting in three arrests and a near fatal shooting.

This couldn’t have been an easy way to make a living, but 50 Cent says it was worth it because it taught him the skills necessary to run a successful business, including money management, launching new campaigns, marketing, and how to deal with customers, distributors, and others. The lesson here? Use your past experiences to your advantage. Analyze each of your previous jobs, make a list of skills, and use it to sweeten your resume. Prove to the company that they’ll be missing out on something great if they don’t hire you!

It also helps to consider the moments you were particularly proud of yourself as well as the mistakes you made while working at previous jobs. Then, you can use them during the interview process to demonstrate the skills and abilities you’ve gained.

Chef Robert Irvine

You may not have heard of Chef Robert Irvine, but that doesn’t make his success or the lessons he learned any less fascinating. Irvine was the star of Dinner: Impossible on The Food Network. Not long after it started airing, however, he was fired for embellishing on the experience section of his resume.

But, instead of denying it, Irvine admitted to lying, apologized, and accepted the cancellation of his position with the show. A year later, the Food Network hired him back to do an additional six episodes. The lesson? Never slam doors shut because opportunities can come from anywhere, and one of them just may be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

The stories of these three stars proves that success is possible regardless of where you came from, or what path you’re on. All it takes is some help, support, and a little bit of persistence!

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3

In 2008, unemployment rates for IT managers and other professionals sat at only 2.5%. But in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this number jumped to a staggering 5.2%. This is the highest the industry’s seen since 2003.

However, David Foote–of Foote Research Group–says the situation is starting to improve, with computer system designers and other similar professions leading the way. In his December report (PDF), he noted these jobs accounted for 6,900 new employment positions in November alone.

Back in 2003, the burst of the dot-com bubble caused massive layoffs, leaving a large number of professionals out of work. In 2009, the culprit was the recession and tighter budgets. To save money, employers are hiring individuals with specific skill sets rather than increasing the number of employees.

This means those seeking a new job will need to focus on their specific skill sets rather than just demonstrating the general skills needed to land the job. Stand out and be prepared to back up those skills. Also, take time to research the companies out there and target the ones most likely looking for your specific skills.

Look at it like the difference between general and niche medicine. If you have a serious earache and only have one chance to treat it, you’re more likely to pay an ear specialist than a general physician. The same is true of employers. Learn how to be the ‘ear specialist.’

On the bright side, specialists make more income and are in higher demand, and that’s never a bad thing!

(Image Source: superpuppy)

As the global economy is shrinking, unemployment isn’t just an issue in the United States. Europe, too, is seeing unemployment rates that are genuinely horrifying. What’s most disconcerting about this is that, just as in the US, the unemployment rate is actually higher than the “official” statistic.

Until the end of the 1960′s, unemployment in Europe was very low. Following a world war, this was considered a “miracle of unemployment.” High unemployment was not viewed as a character trait of Europe. But at the beginning of the 1970′s the employment rate began steadily to decline, and the trend continued through the 1980′s. In the mid-1990′s, paralleling activity in the American job market, there was a small turnaround, but since then, the unemployment rate has been consistently on the rise.

Currently the unemployment rate around the European Union is about 11%, which is slightly higher than that in the US. The countries with the lowest unemployment rates are Germany (7.7%) and the Netherlands (3.3%). Amongst the nations using the euro, the highest unemployment rate is Spain’s mind-boggling 18.1%, having dropped seven percentage points since June 2008. This is primarily a result of the collapse of the construction sector in that country.

What’s most shocking is that these numbers don’t completely reflect all people who have lost their jobs, much like the US U-3 statistic which is the percentage of unemployed workers looking for work. Many state programs in the EU have been implemented to subsidize part-time work and training programs for employees to “keep” their jobs. This resulted in a lower fall in employment than expected, but in reality many jobs are being turned into something different to keep numbers up as much as possible and to underplay the risk of deflation in the European market.

The euro zone is reflecting a more severe crisis in some of the other 27 nations of the EU. Eastern Europe, the Baltic nations and Hungary in particular, has been very hard pressed in recent years. This downturn in the European Union will be very slow to recover in the current recession. It will be important to watch how the US job market, industries, and the economy at large will suffer or benefit as a result of the sharp increase in European unemployment.

With potentially over a 9.5% unemployment rate in the United States, and more localized unemployment rates reaching over 21% (Yuma, Arizona), where have all of the good jobs gone? The following four metro areas are amongst the lower end of American cities, in regards to unemployment.

Boulder, Colorado

Unemployment rate – 6.0%

Major employers in the Boulder vicinity include Sun Microsystems, IBM, and the University of Colorado. There is also a good presence of atmospheric and other environment related research jobs there.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Unemployment rate - 4.8%

Milwuakee’s Brewers are not only a baseball team, but also an industry of its own. The Miller Brewing company remains a main employer in the city. You’ll also find the headquarters of Midwest Airlines and Master Lock. Additionally, there is a budding biotech and health care presence.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Unemployment rate - 5.2%

The main industries of Salt Lake City are transportation and utilities. It is a hub for not only the Church of Latter Day Saints, but also Delta Airlines, two of the larger employers. Other large employers include the Sinclair Oil Corporation and the University of Utah.

San Antonio, Texas

Unemployment rate - 5.8%

Go for government in the big state of Texas. Government jobs are seemingly the more stable of some in most areas, especially when dealing with emergency services and defense. However, San Antonio also offers a home for industries such as finance and health care. Compare the city with other Texan hubs such as Houston, at 6.9%, and Dallas at 7.1% unemployment rates.

No matter where you go, the same job search process will exist. That means you have to have the perfect resume and a plan of action for the job interview following. Good luck with your job search. Happy hunting!

(For a listing of unemployment rates by city nationwide, head to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)