Jobs, Unemployment, and the Great Recession: Articles Worth Reading |
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| Posted by David Yamada on Feb 22 2010 |
| Blog >> |
The mainstream moderate-to-liberal press is finally starting to get it: America's high unemployment rate is having a devastating effect on individuals, their families, and their communities. It is impacting hopes, dreams, and bare survival. It is fueling a public health crisis that we largely have chosen to ignore.
While some columnists have been sounding this alarm since the beginning of the 2008 meltdown -- Bob Herbert of the New York Times is a shining example -- only within the last few months have their host periodicals started to put the jobs crisis front and center.
Fortunately, the emerging news coverage and commentary are sharp and insightful, reminding us that job loss is more than simply an economic event. Here are three cover/lead articles worth printing out and reading, along with a sampling of recent Herbert columns that also merit your attention:
"How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America," Don Peck, The Atlantic (March 2010)
The Great Recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably just beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar men. It could cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a despair not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years to come.
Link: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201003/jobless-america-future
"Lay Off the Layoffs," Jeffrey Pfeffer, Newsweek (Feb. 15, 2010)
Much of the conventional wisdom about downsizing—like the fact that it automatically drives a company's stock price higher, or increases profitability—turns out to be wrong. There's substantial research into the physical and health effects of downsizing on employees—research that reinforces the seemingly hyperbolic notion that layoffs are literally killing people. There is also empirical evidence showing that labor-market flexibility isn't necessarily so good for countries, either.
Link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/233131
"Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs," Peter S. Goodman, New York Times (February 21, 2010)
Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in past recessions, failing to create jobs in sufficient numbers to absorb the record-setting ranks of the long-term unemployed.
Call them the new poor: people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life who are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives — potentially for years to come.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/business/economy/21unemployed.html
A Sampling of Bob Herbert
At times he has been a voice in the wilderness:
"The Worst of the Pain"
Those in the lower-income groups are in a much, much deeper hole than the general commentary on the recession would lead people to believe.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/opinion/09herbert.html
"Time is Running Out"
Rescuing the U.S. economy will require a commitment, and undoubtedly sacrifices, that need to start now.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/opinion/06herbert.html
"Constraining America's Brightest"
Instead of getting a chance to set the world on fire, college graduates are facing a gloomy economy, unpaid internships and unemployment.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/opinion/31herbert.html
David Yamada
ADA National Board Member and Contributing Blogger
Professor of Law and Director, New Workplace Institute
Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA
Minding the Workplace blog at: http://newworkplace.wordpress.com
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