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| The long-term unemployed are finding it nearly impossible to get hired according to a new report. |
The long-term unemployed are finding it nearly impossible to get hired according to a new report.
Report authors Alan Krueger, Judd Cramer and David Cho says that the longer a person is out of work, the harder it is for them to find a job.
The New Republic summarized their findings:
Despite the declining unemployment rate, the long-term unemployed are finding it nearly impossible to get hired – largely due to discrimination by potential employers.
They find that the long-term unemployed have just as hard of time finding work in in states with lower than average unemployment rates than in states with higher levels.
Congress and the business community can do something. As the report states:
Firstly, Congress needs to extend unemployment benefits. Benefits expired for those out-of-work for 26 weeks or longer in January, cutting off the last life line for many jobless Americans.
The Senate passed legislation to extended unemployment insurance, but House Speaker John Boehner continues to block it from coming up in the lower chamber.
The Brookings researchers also advocate financial incentives for companies that hire the long-term unemployed and federal- and state-funded jobs programs targeted toward getting jobless Americans back to work.
In February, President Obama convened a meeting of more than a dozen top corporate leaders – including IBEW signatory companies like Pacific Gas & Electric – to encourage them to revamp their hiring practices to help the long-term unemployed.
Click here to let Rep. Boehner know that you want a vote on extending unemployment insurance.
