Whose Recession Is It Anyway? part v - What Has Happened?

I’m hoping you can help me solve a mystery that’s been occupying my mind lately. I’ve been wondering what is happening to all the people who are losing their jobs?

So far 115,000 people have lost their job in Ireland this year. We are told half a million of us could be unemployed by Christmas. That’s over six Croke Park’s full of people, or more than three times the entire population of County Meath, looking for a job. That’s a massive amount of people. How come we never near from them?

I’m not being flippant; I just find it strange that so many people have lost their jobs without even a murmur of what’s happened to them all.

We’re told the 1980’s were bad. Indeed they were; our young people left in droves to find work in Britain, America, Canada and Australia. I remember the ‘send off’ parties which were a strange mixture of fund raising, bon voyage and tears. Well if things were bad then, they are far worse now.

1985 was the worst year for job losses in those bad old days; 24,000 people lost their job in the 12 months of that year. By contrast 36,500 people lost their job in the single month of January 2009 alone. I was one of them.

For those who lost your job in January, your ten month anniversary has just passed. Almost a year on the dole folks, hard to believe isn’t it? Should I be offering congratulations or commiserations?

Back to my question then, ‘What has happened to all those people?’ Have they found jobs? Have they gone to Australia or Canada, or some other place where things aren’t so bad? Have they just settled for unemployment, accepted their lot so to speak? Are they just marking time until their redundancy cheques run out? Is the dole enough to live on? Are they happily sunning themselves (between the showers) in their back gardens? Are they bored and depressed and devoid of hope? Or are they working away on the black market, pulling in nixers and living the life of Reilly? What about the migrant workers, have they gone back to Poland, Lithuania or Latvia? What has happened to everyone?

This recession and the consequent huge number of job losses is arguably the biggest social catastrophe to hit Ireland since the famine; yet we know almost nothing about what is happening to the people most affected by it. I think it’s amazing that hundreds of thousands of our population could be thrown out of their job and then just disappear. No-one seems to be protesting, there’s been no Jarrow style marches, no picketing of TDs’ offices; nothing seems to have happened.

I set up The Job Seekers Union to give a voice to unemployed people. I wanted to create local job clubs to help job seekers support each other, to come together to generate work perhaps on a co-operative basis. I expected to be flooded with applicants; it’s free to join after all. I have to say, I’ve been surprised at the lack of interest. It makes me wonder, have the unemployed found a contentment that the rest of the population doesn’t know about? They have after all, been christened the ‘Fun-employed.’ Could it really be true; is it fun to be unemployed? Somehow I don’t think so; certainly not if my experience is anything to go by.

Maybe we’ve all lost our tongues? Perhaps we’re ashamed or embarrassed to speak out? Maybe that stigma of being without a job still holds true? Whatever it is; it’s still amazing that such a huge percentage of our population could suffer something as profound as losing their job, yet we know so little about what has happened to them.

According to Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, “You take my life when you do take the means whereby I live.” Is that true? Is losing your job a disaster?

County Meath has been particularly badly hit by unemployment. The commuter belt has gone a bit quiet this year; you only have to drive to Dublin on the N2 or N3 in the rush hour to see the impact of the recession. More than 10,000 people are signing on in Meath. We’d like to hear their stories. Tell us what it’s been like for you.

Write to David Jones. You can email me at david@thejobseekersunion.com.

Copyright © David Jones 2009

Part five of a five part series. For previous installments check the archive pages on The Job Seekers Blog. 

Dealing With Unemployment

As many of this week’s readers are aware, losing your job will be one of the most traumatic things that will happen you in life.

When you first get the news that you’re losing your job, you might break down and become overwhelmed with emotion.  It’s as though the news is just too much to bear.  Coming to terms with the reality of unemployment can indeed be a painful experience.  For anyone who has invested time and energy in their work-life and education, losing their job or being unable to secure one after you have completed your second or third level education is devastating. 

You may go numb for a while.  That’s because the body has a natural defense mechanism to protect itself from the shock.  It temporarily “shuts down” to give you time to adjust.  Following on from that shock, you can decide to use this as an opportunity to follow a dream you’ve had for many years and set the steps in motion towards reaching that goal.  You may decide to become involved in areas like volunteering (become aware of the many ways you can make a valuable contribution within your community and further a-field) or working on becoming an entrepreneur.

It is the attitude you adopt that will be the deciding factor for your progress from here.  This attitude can be developed and strengthened over time.  You must re-build and maintain positive self-belief.  In the case of job searching it will help to:

·       Gain a new job competence by up-skilling.

·       Do not run away from challenging roles that may come your way.   If a particular job appears to be beyond your talent and you are tempted not to apply, stretch yourself beyond your “comfort zone” and face it.  It will only give you an impetus to try harder next time. 

·       A specialty is very important, find your “centre of excellence” and be able to convey this clearly to prospective employers.  Acknowledge your own talents and goals.

·       Set realistic goals and targets for yourself, you will need focus and direction to drive forward. 

Still Reason to be cheerful following Redundancy

·       Be thankful for your health each day, enjoy it, it’s precious.

·       There’s real value out there now, go after it and use it.

·       This new opportunity can be the fulfilling of that dream you’ve always had.

Instead of asking yourself “why should I keep going?” ask yourself “why should I not keep going”?  It is in realizing that you are greater than your current situation or your current reality that you begin creating change and forward movement in your life.

Following on from this adjustment, it’s time to look to the future.  You will be successful with the right attitude.  Why journey alone? Call now for the assistance of a Life Coach and you will have the support you need to get started.

Nuala Duignan,

Dip. Professional Business and Life Coaching

Dip. Train the Trainer, FETAC, Level 6.

Tel. 087  2532675

View Testimonial page on

www.nualaduignanlifecoach.com

Whose Recession Is It Anyway? part ii - Telling Family and Friends

I found it hard to accept it when I lost my job. I’d never been unemployed before. Telling family and friends was particularly hard. I felt like a failure.

You’d be amazed at the extent some people go to try to avoid people finding out they’ve lost their job. I answered a phone call at work once from a woman whose husband used to work in my office. He’d been let go about 6 weeks earlier. He hadn’t told anyone, not even his wife. She was phoning the office to tell her husband something important had happened to one of their children. Apparently he was leaving home every morning to go to work as usual, sandwiches and all. If the weather was good, he sat in the park until going home time. If it was raining, he went to the library. The poor woman got an awful shock when we had to explain to her that he didn’t work with us anymore. I have no idea what happened when he got home that night, but my heart went out to both of them.

People don’t want to tell the family because they’re ashamed. They feel a failure. They don’t want to burden them; they don’t want them to worry. The best advice is tell them immediately. They’ve a right to know. You losing your job will affect them almost as much as it affects you. They need to know the effect it’s going to have on them. They need to adjust their lifestyle, cut back. They need to spend less. They have a right to know.

Tell them you’ve lost your job. Tell them you are upset about this, but it’s not the end of the world. Explain things will need to be different. There will be less money, but you’re not going to starve or lose your house and nothing dreadful is going to happen. Reassure them that if you’re all sensible and adjust your spending then everything will work out ok.

Teenage children can find it particularly hard if their parent loses his or her job. They may be reluctant to tell their friend or social circle. Discuss this with them. Explain it isn’t a social stigma to lose your job anymore. Be understanding if they feel embarrassed or ashamed though. Don’t take it personally. They are at a vulnerable stage in their lives, blending in with the crowd and keeping up appearances are important to them.

If other members of the family are working, tell them they are the lucky ones and remind them how valuable jobs are these days. Don’t put pressure on them so they think they have to keep their job at all costs. Don’t prepare them for a guilt trip if they have the misfortune to lose their job in the future.

Coping with a problem on your own is far harder than sharing it with someone else. It may seem unfair to burden other people with your difficulties. Isn’t that what families are supposed to be all about?
‘A problem shared is a problem halved. There’s no problem so big, that it can’t be solved over a cup of tea.’

As for the neighbours, or other members of the golf club, or your mates in the pub? Tell them too. They’ll find out soon enough anyway. They’ll notice the change in your routine. Better to come out straight and tell them, than have them speculating about you behind your back.

Telling other people that you’ve lost your job is good therapy. It helps you get used to the idea and adjust to your new reality. Putting off the evil day just prolongs the agony.

You’d be surprised too how willing people are to help. In my opinion the Celtic Tiger destroyed one of Ireland’s traditional strengths - neighbourliness. Everyone has been so busy chasing the Tiger’s tail. The courtesies that Ireland was famous for have disappeared behind high wrought iron fences, security gates, CCTV and intercoms.

They say every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe this recession will give us back the Ireland that we once knew and loved. Some good must surely come out of all this doom and gloom.

Copyright © David Jones 2009

Second in a five part series. The next installment examines the hurdle of getting a job in today's recessionary times. 

Whose Recession Is It Anyway? part i - Losing your job

Losing your job in the current economic climate is a devastating experience. Your first reaction is obviously one of shock, followed by confusion. “What am I going to do?” is the first question on everyone’s mind; “How am I going to find another job?”

It takes a few days for it to really sink in. Telling your family and friends is difficult; unfortunately there is still a stigma attached to losing your job. There’s a huge sense of rejection; a feeling of not being wanted. Your mind keeps wondering, “Why me? What did I do wrong?”

It’s really important to remember that people are losing their jobs today through no fault of their own. They haven’t done anything wrong. It’s not their fault there’s a worldwide recession; they can do nothing about the banking crisis. People who are being made redundant are not being singled out because they are bad employees; they’re losing their jobs simply because their employer is facing financial difficulties. Their employer can no longer afford to keep employing them. It’s that simple.

I lost my job in January of this year; I know what it’s like. In my own case I found there was very little help available to tell me what to do. I’d never been unemployed before. I had no idea what my entitlements were; I didn’t know how to go about signing on or anything like that.

That’s why I wrote my book, Oh no; I’ve lost my job. What am I going to do? In a way it was a kind of therapy for me. Writing it gave me a sense of purpose, something positive to be doing. You’ll find my book in most of the local bookshops. [You can also purchase it online from the website of The Job Seekers Union. Price €4.99 plus P&P. - ed.] It tells you everything you need to know if you’ve lost your job; including how to deal with debts, how to get your spending under control; as well as your welfare entitlements and how to go about claiming them. There’s advice too on how to go about looking for another job; how to write your CV, prepare for an interview and so on.

As with everything in life; if you find yourself unemployed, it’s important to try to stay positive. Boredom can quickly lead to depression; so try to stay active and busy. Tackle those jobs around the house that you never got around to; get busy in the garden, take up a hobby.

No matter what your circumstances; it really is important to register with your local social welfare office. The sooner you sign on, the sooner your jobseekers benefit or jobseekers allowance can be processed. It’s takes a while for the first payment to come through, but it will be back dated to the date you first signed on.

If you are in financial difficulty while you are waiting for your benefits to come through, you can get temporary assistance from the Community Welfare Officer. You can find their number in the Phonebook under Community Welfare Services or call your Local Health Centre.

They say looking for a job is a job in itself. Unfortunately there aren’t many vacancies about at the moment, but there are some. Try to be positive, and remember nothing lasts forever. You might have sent off hundreds of CV’s and got no response so far, but you never know what’s around the corner; so don’t give up trying.

Losing your job needn’t be the end of the world; it may be the opportunity to re-invent yourself and do something you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe you’ve always wanted to start a new business, or take up studying? In my own case it gave me the chance to write a book, which I never thought I’d do. I’ve a second book written, so who knows, maybe it’s the start of a new career for me as an author? [David Jones' second book, The Pothole Republic is also available from The Job Seekers Union at a special discount price of €4.99 plus P&P. Click here for more info. - ed]

It’s hard to believe there are over 400,000 unemployed people in the country; that’s a massive number for a country as small as ours. I recently set up a self help organisation called The Job Seekers Union. You can check it out at www.thejobseekersunion.com.

Incidentally, feel free to write to me with your experiences of unemployment. I’m compiling a book of people’s stories which I hope to publish later in the year.

You can contact me through The Job Seekers Union where you can also email me - david@thejobseekersunion.com.

Copyright © David Jones 2009

This is the first in a series of five articles. In the next installment David addresses the issues of 'Telling Your Family and Friends' that you have lost your job. 

What would you do if you lost your job?

David Jones writes about his initial reaction to losing his job...

Over 35,000 Irish workers lost their job in January. That’s a lot of people when you think the population of Ireland probably isn’t much more than 3.5 million. I was one of those unfortunates; and like most of them, I’m a first timer. I’ve never been unemployed before. It’s a horrible, earth shattering experience. I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

It came as a complete shock when it happened to me. I wasn’t expecting it. I knew things were bad in the company, but I thought there was a plan in place to see us through this recession.
It was so quick, so sudden. I was a part of the sales force. They didn’t want me staying around and demoralising customers, so I was let go with immediate effect. Half an hour after I was told my job was gone, I was on my way home and I haven’t been back to work since. I was given no chance to say goodbye to friends and colleagues; no real opportunity to properly clear my desk.
“Sorry, you’re not needed anymore. Go home. Don’t come back. You are the weakest link. Goodbye!” They didn’t say it quite that way, but that’s the gist of what they meant; and that’s certainly what it felt like.

It was all so clinical, so brutal; so final. There was no help or advice offered. No information given about coping, or about benefits and entitlements.

“We’ll give you a good reference,” was all they said.

Talk about a short sharp shock.

I was devastated to think I wasn’t wanted anymore. The sense of rejection was awful. It seemed so unfair. I’d worked so hard, put in loads of extra hours, taken work home. All I could think of, was why? Why me? Why now? Why do they have to be so ruthless? Why are they being so heartless?

I don’t think it really sank in, not for a day or two anyway. I felt numb, confused, bewildered as I drove home. I tried to be positive. I tried talking to myself.

“It’ll be ok. I’ll get through it – somehow,” but I wasn’t convincing myself.

I remember telling the kids that first night as soon as I got home. I don’t think they really understood. They certainly didn’t comprehend the impact it was going to have on them. How could they? They’d never known anything like this before.

I hadn’t worked with the company long enough to get redundancy or compensation. I got a week’s pay in lieu of notice. I suppose you could say I was lucky to get that. If I was in America, I might have got nothing. But I’m not in America. I’m in Ireland; the land of the Celtic Tiger. A handful of months ago, Ireland was supposedly one of the wealthiest countries in Europe. Migrant workers were flocking here for jobs. What on earth has happened? Where did it all go wrong?

A week’s pay and a P45; it’s not much really is it? Not when you’ve worked your butt off for the company.

My financial position would have been precarious at the best of times. I had an overdraft that was about 75% used up, and maxed -out credit cards. They hadn’t been a problem when I was working and a regular salary cheque was coming in. They became a millstone around my neck though, the day I lost my job and my income suddenly stopped.

I know it could be a lot worse. I’m lucky not to have a big mortgage. My heart really goes out to young families when unemployment knocks on their mortgaged doors. It must be sheer hell to have to face even the remotest possibility that you might lose your home if things don’t improve.

They paid me my week’s notice with a cheque. I remember paying it into the bank and wondering where the next lodgement would be coming from? It’s amazing, when you’re in a corner, how quickly a kind of self preservation mechanism kicks in. In my own case, I suddenly got a sense that cash represented survival. If I could get money into my pocket, I reasoned, I’d have some chance of retaining control over my day to day life. If, on the other hand, I left the money in my current account, and the bank found out I’d lost my job and pulled my overdraft, then I’d be in real trouble. I went to an ATM and withdrew cash up to my overdraft limit.

I now had a thousand euro in my pocket. It might not be much, but it gave me a temporary sense of security. It obviously wouldn’t last forever; but it meant I could respond, at least for a while, to things that happened in my life. I could spend that €1,000 on what I deemed a priority. Whereas, if I’d left it in the bank, who knows what direct debits and standing orders would have gobbled it up?

I’m not saying what I did was right. I accept it was a form of panic; but wasn’t I entitled to panic? After all, I had just lost my job, hadn’t I?

Of course I knew I’d have to face the bank at some stage, but that would be later. This was now, and now was all that seemed to matter to me at that moment. To survive, I needed flexibility; that meant I needed cash. Cash would allow me to do what I wanted with the little money I had. I could buy food, fuel, pay the really important bills and give the kids a few bob.

The first time I went shopping after losing my job was an experience. I’d never consciously thought about the price of anything before. I just bought what took my fancy. There was always plenty of money about to cover it all; and I could always rely on the credit card if I was stuck. Now though, I found myself scrutinising everything. I didn’t make out a shopping list, I just looked for bargains. I limited myself to the supermarket’s own value brands, and I forgot all about the little luxuries I would normally have treated myself to.

I managed to get a week’s shopping for €40. Previously I would have spent that in one night on my way home from work. I was pleased with myself.

“This unemployment’s not so bad,” I thought with a false sense of triumph; “I can survive this.”
Then the snow arrived. Everywhere was covered in a beautiful blanket of white; and boy was it cold. That’s when the first reality hit me. Keeping warm is expensive, and when you don’t have a job, well it can become a bit of a worry. Is it an extravagance or a necessity to heat the house? Is it better just to heat the room you’re in, rather than the whole house? Is a hot water bottle more economical than an electric blanket? Is coal cheaper than oil? I’d never thought about these issues before; I’d never had to.

I stocked up on coal. I bought in bulk to save money; but it ate a hole in my precious cash reserve. I worried how long the cold spell would last. I’d never worried about anything like that before. I started feeling a bit depressed.

I thought about treating myself; nothing outlandish, just a book. A book that cost €12.75. I needed cheering up; surely I deserved it?

I thought a lot about buying that book. For 20 minutes I stood outside Easons, debating with myself as to whether I could afford it. I must have changed my mind a hundred times; “Yes you can, no you can’t”.

I couldn’t decide. I felt stupid, pathetic. “It’s a €12.75 book for god’s sake, and you’re dithering over buying it.”

I was actually having a conversation with myself as I stood on the pavement. “Oh God, I’m going mad!”

“You wouldn’t have given it a second thought when you were working,” I tried to cajole myself into thinking positively. Perhaps it was a form of denial.

“But you’re not working anymore are you?” that down to earth, blunt, nagging, miserable part of my mind stepped in with its doom and gloom attitude. “You’ve lost your job. You’re unemployed. You’ve no money.”

I bought the book in the end. I had to. If I hadn’t, then god only knows when the misery in my head would have allowed me to buy anything ever again. I know the whole thing was really just a question of confidence. It was only €12.75, but it’s amazing how quickly your confidence goes when you’ve lost your job.

Copyright © David Jones, 2009