Earlier this week, in a video town hall meeting, a woman told President Obama of her husband's failure to find a job for the last three years.
Now, while it is true that American corporations, especially in the high tech fields, are having trouble finding qualified engineering applicants, this exchange between Obama and this woman leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
First of all, we don't know why her husband was laid off in the first place. Obviously, companies faced with having to let employees go don't like to lose there most valuable employees. Second, change in high tech is fast paced. For an unemployed semiconductor engineer, every day that he is out of work is a day that technological progress is passing him buy. Companies aren't in the business of on-the-job training. When they hire somebody, they expect that person to hit the ground running. Third, we don't know what metropolitan area this woman's husband is seeking a job in. If, for example, that area is already knee deep in unemployed semiconductor engineers, only the cream of the crop will fill any job openings. Definitely, his being out work for 3 years has made him less and less valuable in the current, depressed job market. Lastly, many people who are unemployed are forever stuck looking for work in the area that they currently living in. Many might be able to find jobs elsewhere in the country but, because they are so underwater on their current mortgage, they just can't relocate without facing substantial penalties on their existing mortgage commitment.
This woman's husband is a sad commentary about the years of high and long-termed unemployment in this country. While I'm sure, for political reasons, Obama will definitely find this guy a job, others in similar situations won't be as lucky. Many "high tech" professionals may never find work, again, in their chosen profession. Some may have to start all over again by applying for an entry-level engineering jobs. But, knowing Obama, my guess is that he will use this woman's husband as an example of those "bad corporations" intentionally avoiding hiring the long-term unemployed. Again, he will call for tax penalties for companies who don't hire the long-term unemployed. Just mark my words.
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2 comments:
As an engineer myself, I would like to point out some flaws in your thinking. If you're a specialist in a field, you are the means by which that field advances. You, are the active agent in the technology, not the company you do or don't work for. Looking for work does take away from the time tou have to do that. It does not castrate you. The old blame the victim gambit simply does not play in the court or informed reason. Event if the gentleman was fired for cause, that shouldn't negate the positive attributes for which he was hired on at least one occasion in the past. He's probably demonstrated and retains qualities and predistpositions that make him employable. If it's just 'the free market working' leave it at that. Let's not falsely ascribe negative character traits to this unemployed engineer based on what was probably an economics based business decision. Most of us wouldn't try to do that if he'd been mugged. So why do it now.
I hope her husband has a good job, now. :( According to The Center for Immigration Studies: "25,000 unemployed U.S.-born individuals with engineering degrees who have a Master’s or PhD and another 68,000 with advanced degrees are not in labor force. There were also 489,000 U.S. born individuals with graduate degrees who were working, but not as engineers.”. Well, as far as I know, computer software engineers are in high demand today; maybe he can apply for that one.
Sherlock Best
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