Monthly Archives: August 2011

Unemployment is a problem throughout the world.  It is psychologically devestating as well as financially ruinous.  I remember when I had just arrived in California from Massachusetts.  It was a six day trip in my pick up truck.  I had come to get a job in international trade.  But, that never happened.  There were no such jobs in Massachusetts, so I saw that Seattle and Los Angeles had many jobs fitting this description, plus Los Angeles had a large Chinese community, and my back up plan was to teach English in the Chinese community. 
 
After months of searching and getting rejected for various types of commodities trading and international type jobs, I was running out of money. Living on ramen noodles is no joke, month after month!  Two months of unemployment almost crippled me financially. I finally gave in and started work doing landscaping for a while, and then did tutoring in the Chinese community which made me a meager living.  Not knowing where my next meal was going to come from effected me mentally for years.  I have never enjoyed the emotional security that others have, since I feel they have more to fall back on.  I have only a hard sidewalk to fall back on which explains my seven day work weeks, week after week.  I want security in my businesses — and I’m determined to work for it!
 
Solutions to unemployment
Training is a great solution.  Not everyone can afford training or knows what to engage themselves in.  It would be wonderful if governments could provide services to determine what type of job a person is best suited for.  The tests given might not be completely accurate, but it would be a wonderful start. 
 
Market analysis could reveal which markets need more workers, and there are many doing this type of market analysis and trend analysis.  The trick is to combine the knowledge of which industries need more workers with training programs and mentoring programs.  To a certain extent, this type of system is already in place, but not all unemployed individuals are guided into the right industries — only some of them.