Are Jobs Even Real Anymore?
The Economy is doing well so why can’t I get employed?
Unemployment had gripped the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost everyone knows someone who has been effected or knows someone else who has been. Even I, the author of this piece, have been effected.
The unemployment rate in October sat at around 6.9%, which is a decrease from its earlier rate of nearly 15% in May. This is a sharp increase from April where the unemployment rate close to 4% and Covid was getting started here in the States.
Even with the decreasing rate of unemployment it still seems impossible to find a job. Temporary holiday work has helped, but for those coming out of college and looking to start their career all attempts at applications seem futile.
I have applied to so many positions I have lost track, some I was overqualified for, others not, and some I barely made the cut. The ones that do reach out are either pyramid scheme sales or jobs that won’t pay enough for me to survive.
My friends who were unemployed took almost anything that they could get, and now as they apply to jobs that they would like to have as their career it’s crickets.
Where are the jobs? We’re constantly fed that our economy is doing great, that the stock market is booming, so why is the unemployment rate still so high?
Users on R/dataisbeautiful have tracked their application process and the results are astounding. One user, Colin1236, sent out 156 applications to be a pilot and didn’t receive a single job offer. On the other hand, user poptartsatemyfamily applied to 1 job as an ICU nurse and received 6 other offers.
If you’re applying for a job, even with a Ph.D as user chemsforbeller did, you’ll have to apply to plenty of jobs before you receive an offer.
u/Chemsforbeller’s job application breakdown.
It seems as though the jobs that are hiring during this pandemic are healthcare workers, teachers, and phone sales reps. Other jobs, ones that need in person interaction and labor have paused hiring.
This issue won’t turn around until Covid is either under control or eradicated. Many companies don’t want to take the risk bringing new people in or can’t afford to hire a new staffer. Fortune Magazine reported that nearly 100,000 small businesses had to shut their doors permanently due to Covid-19, all jobs that someone once held.
Seeing all the posts on Indeed and LinkedIn are also disheartening as it makes it look like there are jobs on the market when in actuality there may not be.
For those reading this and thinking, “This isn’t true, I found a job no problem” congratulations, I am happy you are working, but there are so many people that can’t find that career that they are looking for.
The people I know who have jobs have kept the jobs they had before the pandemic, and those who have lost them have done so due to the pandemic. This is why it’s so important that we are responsible and wear masks. The vaccine is on the horizon and hopefully will present more opportunities but for now we must hold out hope that the government will pass another stimulus to help all those effected.
