Overload of Workers Searching for Jobs Leaves Many Without and Feeling Discriminated Against

Staff Writer March 30, 2009

Overload of Workers Searching for Jobs Leaves Many Without and Feeling Discriminated Against. The news media across the nation has repeatedly highlight one state as the forerunner in the affects of the downtrend American economy. This state is Florida, which boasts a demoralizing unemployment rate of 8.6% and increasing overall as a state. Even more alarming, are the unemployment rates in large metropolis areas of the state, specifically South Florida, which has suffered from double-digit unemployment rates among a population of tens of millions for at least two years now. With so many unemployed workers searching for jobs, the battle lines are becoming clearer. Two distinct categories of workers fiercely competing for jobs are younger people, fresh out of high school or college with little or no functional work experience, and older generations of workers, including those aged sixty-four and older, who are forced out of retirement due to a litany of reasons, including depleted 401(k)s, lackluster pensions, or faltering federal benefits. In many cases, it is a combination of all of the above. These two distinctly different generations are now going head to head in a fierce competition for limited numbers of jobs in the state of Florida, especially around the Fort Lauderdale and Miami cities of South Florida. The two groups couldn’t prove more different, yet each feels the other is favored by employers.

On the one hand, younger workers are notoriously less reliable than older workers, and also lack the working experience that the older generations posses. However, younger workers do posses the ability to adapt and utilize technology, which is foreign to the majority of the older generation workers. Additionally, older generation workers may appear to be a risky investment for companies seeking long-term positions, in light of a younger, more adaptable prospective employee. In other cases, as seen with service-oriented positions, attractive workers always seem to win out of over others. Many sociologists and economists can agree with the unemployed individual’s feelings of discrimination based on age and physical appearance, however, they also point out that this occurred well before the economy took a nosedive. In many cases, however, jobs were plentiful enough that virtually anyone could find employment in at least one, if not multiple places. Many individuals facing unemployment, however, dismiss notions of discrimination and keep trudging along their job search path, with the knowledge that it only takes one job to keep them employed.