Unemployment Woes and Coping Skills

The elections are over. President Obama won his second term. Unemployment has increased in Massachusetts over the past few months despite modest gains. What is the real story in Massachusetts? As an observer, I am hearing that many older workers over the age of 45 years old are having a difficult time finding gainful employment. Why is this so? The answer is age discrimination. It is a fact that older workers cost employers more money to hire. For those who may not know, health insurance costs go up when an employer hires an older worker as well as having to pay most of them a competitive higher salary than a younger worker. When one attends workshops at the career centers at the unemployement offices, majority of the attendees are older workers who have been laid off after working for an employer for a long time. Ironically, when many of these workers go for interviews, they are being interviewed by employees twenty years younger than them.

The common responses some of them hear are that "they are not qualifed for the job" when in fact they worked in that field for a long time. Also, some of these older workers have been bullied out of their jobs so their employer can hire younger workers. Unfortunately, it is difficult to prove age discrimination since majority of these cases are not from a protected class.

Some of the jobs that older workers are finding are low paying retail jobs with some health benefits if they are able to afford it. Or finding fee for service jobs in healthcare or commission jobs that take awhile to build up for gainful employment. Furthermore, there is one program that only hires older workers who are income eligible. They work a part-time human service job for one year while collecting benefits. If they are lucky, the employer may hire them if funds are available. I would like to see the statistics on how many of these workers do get hired from this program.

What can be done to increase gainful employment among older workers? Here are some tips:
1) Contact your state or federal representatives to inform them of your difficulties in finding gain employment. Tell them that age discrimination is causing you to not be hired.

2) Attend local support groups and classes in your town such as the Shrewsbury Public Library that can provide you with resources in your job search.

3) Blog about your experiences so politicians can learn about your experiences being unemployed.

4) See a counselor if you need to vent about your frustrations and learn some coping skills to get you through these difficult times.

5) Exercise! Exercise! Exercise!!! The adrenaline rush can help you find creative ways to find work or ideas to network.

6) Network! Network! Network! Attend meetings at the local chamber of commerce in your area.

7)Continue to attend workshops at your local career centers at the unemployment offices. Work with your job counselor to find opportunities and unadvertised positions.

8) Social media outlets such as Linkedin can be helpful though I don't know the statistics on how many people find gainful employment.

9) Remember to take deep breaths when you need a break from your job search. If you can work a part-time job while looking for gainful employment, do so but remember to report your earnings to unemployment.

10) Support the Massachusetts Healthy Workplace Bill H.2310 to prevent and to give workers much added protections in the workplace. Steps have been put in to prevent unnecessary lawsuits

8) Social media outlets such as Linkedin can be helpful though I don't know the statistics on how many people find gainful employment.

9) Remember to take deep breaths when you need a break from your job search. If you can work a part-time job while looking for gainful employment, do so but remember to report your earnings to unemployment.

10) Support the Massachusetts Healthy Workplace Bill H.2310 to prevent and to give workers much added protections in the workplace. Steps have been put in to prevent unnecessary lawsuits

The Rise in Teen Gambling

Did you know that 9.5% of youth are affected by problem gambling in Massachusetts? Did you also know that 2.8% of youth are identifed as having pathological/compulsive gambling problems in Massachusetts? What is the difference between problem gambling and pathological/compulsive gambling? Answer: The former is abuse and the latter is an addiction. Question: What is the main source of gambling for youths? Answer: Internet gaming. Question: What is one way youths pay to engage in gambling activities? Answer: They buy prepaid credit cards in the local stores. I could not believe how problem and pathological gambling is a growing problem for our youth. While it is no surprise that many use the internet to gamble, it is now a major public health issue for this population. People often ask what are the similarities between substance abuse and problem/pathological gambling. The common factors that cause these behaviors are emotional difficulties; impulsivity; and stress. Both also involve a loss of control. On brain scans, it shows that the same pathways and cells not only light up but also an increase in size for the neural pathways and an increase in the number of cells growing. The major differences between the above addictions are problem gambling involves getting instant rewards and bailouts from family members/friends who pay for their debts. Here two basic questions as a screening tool to ask your child/teen who may be having a problem with gambling: 1)Have you ever felt the need to bet more and more money? 2) Have you ever had to lie to people important to you about how much you gamble? If you answered "Yes" to one or both questions, please contact the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling at 1-800-426-1234. There is a website designed for and by teens on problem gambling at www.teensknowyourlimits.org. I found the above information to be very helpful in increasing my professional knowledge and awareness as a professional counselor in Shrewsbury. I thank the Massachusetts Compulsive Gambling for providing this training on this topic to providers