Recent press reports have indicated the Michigan unemployment rate is 14.0%. As someone who has been seeking work without success for months, this comes as no surprise.
There are, of course, things one can do to improve one's chances of gaining employment. Polishing one's resume, attending job fairs, networking, etc. are high on the list of suggested tips for job seekers.
There is, however, one tip that apparently has been overlooked. It seems there are programs to provide employment to convicts in Michigan prisons in hopes of rehabilitating them. As a result, the current rate of unemployment among the prison population is under 10%! That's right! In Michigan, it's literally easier to get a job if you're in prison than if you obey the law.
I didn't realize one of the keys to employment in this state was knocking over a liquor store, but if that's what it takes...
It appears while I've been wasting time polishing my resume when I should have been polishing a Saturday Night Special.
John, it took a bit of doing but I found a link to some unemployment statistics that you might find interesting: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm.
ReplyDeleteHere they show that the worst unemployment is among those African-Americans who are 16-19 years old, either female or male: 38.4%! So they must be talking about the young African-American kids that aren't incarcerated when figuring out their unemployment rate! (Those are national rates as of May, couldn't find the current rate for Michigan) Best employment rates: White women over 20...unemployment for them is a mere 7%...wonder why I got left behind?