2009 was a difficult year for almost everyone. For the unemployed it was particularly tough.
In the first month alone over 30,000 people lost their jobs. I know what it was like, I was one of them. There was an atmosphere of doom and gloom. Every day the news was of more job losses and lengthening unemployment queues. People from all walks of life were affected: solicitors, estate agents, architects, as well as blue collar workers and construction labourers. Most had never been unemployed before.
No-one was able to offer any hope. It was the same everywhere. Ireland was in the grip of a world-wide recession. Our situation was worse than most though. We were crashing from the heady days of the Celtic Tiger. Our banks were in freefall; reckless borrowing, greed and corruption their downfall. We were angry, frightened, bewildered.
As we enter the New Year, have things got any better?
The truthful answer is no. The level of unemployment in Ireland is still far too high. The majority of the people who lost their jobs are still unemployed. Job Seekers benefits have been cut. And yet things have settled down. The rate of job losses has stabilised. There are even signs that the economy may be about to show some improvement.
What has happened to all the people who lost their jobs? There have been no mass protests in the streets, no riots, no civil unrest. If we are honest, we are lucky. Ireland treats the unemployed far better than almost anywhere else. We may be getting less than we were before the Budget, but we’re still getting more than they do in Britain, and far more than the Eastern European countries that recently joined the EU. Maybe we should be grateful for small mercies – things could after all be a lot worse.
But unemployment brings other problems, not just financial ones. Boredom, hopelessness, low self-worth, stress and depression are the symptoms of long-term unemployment. To survive joblessness you have to be tough. You have to try to turn it to your advantage. The one positive thing it gives you is time; and time gives you the chance to do things you’ve never been able to do before.
I don’t want to underestimate the difficulties of being unemployed, but I would like to offer encouragement and motivation. I know how hard it is being without work. The worst thing though is to feel sorry for yourself. You have to try to be positive, to see unemployment as an opportunity not a burden. What can you do with the extra time? That’s the trick, to use that time constructively.
There are still jobs out there. There may be fewer than there were, but they are there. Maybe you need to retrain to get one. If so what’s stopping you? What about your hobbies or those things you’ve always wanted to do? Let’s look at some of the possibilities. Starting a vegetable garden is interesting, physically challenging and rewarding; it can also save you money. Travel needn’t be expensive. You can get to London by bus for €70. You can join the YHA and stay in a hostel for far less than you’d imagine. If you are creative you can write a book, take up art, or a craft like candle-making, embroidery, cooking. There may even be an opportunity to earn an income from your work.
That brings me on to the other great opportunity that unemployment offers anyone who is in any way enterprising – the chance to start your own small business. Getting into business is far easier than you might imagine. All you really need is the will to do it. There are thousands of different types of business: washing cars, domestic cleaning, door-to-door selling, child-minding, house maintenance, bookkeeping, buying and selling cars, bed and breakfast, repairing electrical equipment or computers, installing burglar alarms, couriers, dog-walking, garden maintenance, dressmaking, window cleaning, massage therapy, ironing, breeding chickens, selling second-hand clothing, party planning, mini-cabbing, furniture restoration, office cleaning, etc, etc ,etc.
If you are thinking of starting a small business, it would be worth talking to the County Enterprise Board. They should be able to help with useful advice and mentoring. You may also be able to apply for financial help under the Back to Work Scheme which allows you to keep your Job Seekers benefits while you are starting up your business.
Another source of income which might be plausible is to rent a spare room in your house. If you choose your tenant carefully it needn’t be as inconvenient as it sounds. Remember too that FAS run lots of training courses offering new skills and experience aimed at getting you back to work.
As we enter 2010 let’s be optimistic and make a New Year’s resolution to use the time unemployment offers us as positively as we can. If you are creative and enterprising you really can improve your situation. It’s up to after all; no-one is going to do it for you.
Copyright © David Jones 2010
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