Economy keeps graduates 'underemployed,' struggling
Class of 2009 settles for low-paying jobs
Katie Rose McEneely
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
Graduates of the class of 2009 stepped into one of the worst job markets in years. In an effort to make ends meet, some have taken jobs they are overqualified for. These alumni are living the lives of the "underemployed" - many holding down part-time jobs while looking for better work.
Rob Ogden '09, a current resident of Minneapolis, Minn., didn't find a job until the start of November, almost three months after he started looking.
Ogden graduated from Hillsdale with a degree in philosophy. Now he works for Clean Water Action, a non-profit organization.
"I am a canvasser. Basically I go door to door raising funds, trying to get people to give me their money," he said. "It's bottom of the food chain."
Vita Reivydas '09 had similar difficulties. After moving from her native Los Angeles to San Diego, Calif., in September, she got a job at Restoration Hardware, she said.
"I got the job about three weeks after I applied in mid-October," she said. "But I've also been looking for office jobs, something more stable and closer to full-time work, and that's been a lot harder to find."
"Pretty much everyone I know is working part-time and looking for another job, or is unemployed and looking for another job," Ogden said.
He said one difficulty is the current job market is flooded with a lot of experienced professionals competing for entry-level positions. As a result, jobs that once went to inexperienced workers now go to a different crowd.
According to The Wall Street Journal on Nov. 6, despite the official end of the recession in June, the economic recovery has been largely jobless.
Experts say it's likely to remain so, predicting a peak in unemployment in February 2010.
Mark Perry, a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan-Flint, said unemployment statistics don't even include the underemployed, those individuals who desire full-time employment but are working part-time.
The Career Planning office displays a map of the United States studded with stars representing last year's graduates, but the map for 2009 is largely unlabeled.
Rob Ogden '09, a current resident of Minneapolis, Minn., didn't find a job until the start of November, almost three months after he started looking.
Ogden graduated from Hillsdale with a degree in philosophy. Now he works for Clean Water Action, a non-profit organization.
"I am a canvasser. Basically I go door to door raising funds, trying to get people to give me their money," he said. "It's bottom of the food chain."
Vita Reivydas '09 had similar difficulties. After moving from her native Los Angeles to San Diego, Calif., in September, she got a job at Restoration Hardware, she said.
"I got the job about three weeks after I applied in mid-October," she said. "But I've also been looking for office jobs, something more stable and closer to full-time work, and that's been a lot harder to find."
"Pretty much everyone I know is working part-time and looking for another job, or is unemployed and looking for another job," Ogden said.
He said one difficulty is the current job market is flooded with a lot of experienced professionals competing for entry-level positions. As a result, jobs that once went to inexperienced workers now go to a different crowd.
According to The Wall Street Journal on Nov. 6, despite the official end of the recession in June, the economic recovery has been largely jobless.
Experts say it's likely to remain so, predicting a peak in unemployment in February 2010.
Mark Perry, a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan-Flint, said unemployment statistics don't even include the underemployed, those individuals who desire full-time employment but are working part-time.
The Career Planning office displays a map of the United States studded with stars representing last year's graduates, but the map for 2009 is largely unlabeled.
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Joy Pavelski
posted 11/20/09 @ 12:07 PM EST
This was a beautifully written story. It combined stats with plenty of illustrations in a neat, easy-to-read and interesting package. Just what I wanted to read. (Continued…)
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