Checking in with the newly unemployed: Part 2
Stacey Vanek Smith: Economists expect the unemployment rate in May to stay right around 8.1 percent. That number gets a lot of attention but it can be a little abstract.
So we sent Mitchell Hartman to a job center in Portland, Oregon to talk with people who are just hitting the unemployment lines.
Mitchell Hartman: The job market is improving a bit. The number of people competing for each position is edging down. So is the average time it takes to find new work.
I met 47-year-old Dwight Dillon at a job center in Portland, Oregon.
Dwight Dillon: I’m unemployed now, I’ve been unemployed maybe a couple of weeks. Let’s see, I sold cars for a bit, I was in sales for a long time.
Dillon says he’s no stranger to looking for work.
Dillon: I moved to New Orleans years ago with $50 in my pocket. Found work in three days. Before I knew it, I was making over a thousand a week. I stayed in a shelter for a little bit, and saved my money.
Dillon says he won’t apply for unemployment benefits — too cumbersome and time-consuming.
Dillon: Well, I mean, I just paid my child support less than a week ago, so I mean, I’m motivated. I can find day labor if I have to, first. And then from then on I’ll find more work, so I’m confident. Because there’s work available, I think.
The longer it takes him, the higher his chances of getting stuck without a job for a while.
I’m Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
