More Americans Unemployed and Loving It
As the U.S. unemployment rate tops 9.5 percent, headed for 10, many members of Congress are bashing President Obama’s economic stimulus plan for not doing enough, fast enough to keep Americans working. Now along comes evidence that a growing number of Americans forced into joblessness by the recession are actually loving it and not even planning to look for new jobs.
Finding living off of unemployment compensation preferable to taking lower-paying jobs, they say they are enjoying “funemployment,” a situation now defined in the Urban Dictionary as: The condition of a person who takes advantage of being out of a job to have the time of their life.
“Buoyed by severance, savings, unemployment checks or their parents, the funemployed do not spend their days poring over job listings,” instead, continues the LA Times, “They travel on the cheap for weeks. They head back to school or volunteer at the neighborhood soup kitchen. And at least till the bank account dries up, they're content living for today.”
Some business experts suggest that the funemployment phenomenon embodies a long-simmering backlash against putting in overtime, working on weekends and otherwise giving up personal and family time to climb the corporate ladder.
“Recession gives people permission to be unemployed,” said David Logan, a professor at USC's Marshall School of Business in an LA Times article. "Why not make use of the time and go do something fun?"
While some of the funemployed are looking for new jobs, they are choosing to look only for jobs that pay more, offer better hours, more vacation or better benefits than the jobs they lost.
It just makes you wonder if President Obama did -- as his fellow Democrats are calling on him to do -- launch a second stimulus package, and if that second stimulus package did create more jobs, how many of the new breed of happily unemployed would be willing to give up the benefits of funemployment to take them?
The Government is Hiring: If “funemployment” is not for you, or if you are looking to change jobs, the U.S. government has plenty of jobs, including many new ones created by the economic stimulus package. To find a job that matches your experience or knowledge, try the Government Job Finder.
Also See:
2009 Economic Stimulus Package and You
Stimulus Plan Help for Families, Individuals and Businesses
Unemployment Compensation: Who Pays for It?
Comments
I work for a government agency that deals with unemployed people on a daily basis,and it is my personal observation that they are not at all happy about their situation.
They are frustrated,angry, and losing hope of finding any type of meaningfull mployment.
I attempt to assist them in finding jobs,and training and obtaining related social services such as food stamps and medical careetc. It is not uncommon for the individuals that i attempt to assist t tell me they will take any kind of work that i can find them. I would suggest anyone that thinks being “Unemployed is a Vacation” to spend a couple weeks in a local Career Link Office trying to find a job. You will see it is no joke or vacation and the frustration and disappointment and anger of individuals is all too real and it is harder for the more mature job seeker. I honestly have to wonder what the author of the article “More Americans Unemployed and Loving it” is smoking
Hi Joe — If it weren’t for the fact that I know people who are doing what the authors described, I would have a hard time believing it, as well. Of course, they did interview the actual “funemployed” people. And, as you alluded to, all of those interviewed are young. Chances are the jobs they had lost were only their first or second job. Good point!
Robert
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I work in a local hospital and believe me the people are unhappy because they are getting sick and don’t have any health insurance. They own their homes, cars and boats and are afraid of applying for state assistance. They are not happy about being unemployed and just getting enough money to pay their mortgage and food.