Sunday, February 21, 2010
The New Poor
This article from the New York Times discusses the idea of the new poor. This refers to the people that WERE in the middle class and never needed assistance from the government until the most recent recession. The majority of the people who are having the most problems are those people who are older (50) and have a high school education. So unless Obama and his administration decide to extend the short term unemployment again these people are facing a grim future.
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I think one big challenge for these "new poor" is that they do not know how to deal with the change of their living conditions and identities. They used to be in the middle class but now they need assistance from the government. This gap in their life would lead to serious psychological problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article. Since these people are over 50 and only have a high school education, I don't think it's easy for them to learn new job skills. Plus, the umemployment rate is high so it would make it harder for them to find a job. It's likely for those "new poor" to be in longterm unemployment.
ReplyDeleteThis older group of people also did not grow up in the age of technology like we did, so aquiring new skills takes more time for them. Employers look for people who have had experience with certain newer technologies which puts this group at a disadvantage.
ReplyDeleteThe older people who are some have high school diploma's and the one's with a college education are having a difficult time finding jobs one being companies are just not hiring, two its so much harder when you are older to land a job and three some do not have the skills that they companies are looking for.
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