The Vicious Cycle of Unemployment

For some it may seem easier to get a job if you're unemployed. Intuitively, the unemployed have more time to interview, are willing to accept lower salaries and have future employers who know they can start right away. But the large amount of unemployed in this recession has proven one thing: being unemployed is not a recipe for success in this economy. And the problem then becomes if you are unemployed and that prevents you from getting hired that the more this occurs, the further the unemployed fall from employability in many employer's eyes--it becomes a vicious cycle of unemployment.

This was recounted in a recent article on Yahoo! (H/T Wendy) which says that it's gotten so bad and so prevalent that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is trying to get "unemployed" as another factor you can't discriminate against a candidate: "With the number of Americans who have been out of work for six months or longer at a whopping 6.2 million, and with 4.7 unemployed workers for every job opening, advocates for the jobless say this growing form of hiring discrimination creates another hurdle for the increasingly desperate ranks of the unemployed. 'At a moment when we all should be doing whatever we can to open up job opportunities to the unemployed, it is profoundly disturbing that the trend of deliberately excluding the jobless from work opportunities is on the rise,' Christine Owens, who runs the National Employment Law Center, told the EEOC."

The article hints that it may also be a case of racial or age discrimination as many more of the unemployed are African American or older, the former of which would also violate civil rights laws. This is not an issue that is going away and yet many job postings online still prohibit those who are unemployed for applying. Do the skills actually go away? Does the fact that everyone was downsizing mean those laid off are actually the weakest link? Probably not but it gives employers a good excuse when the volume of resumes continues to pile up.

At the very least, articles like this should give HR professionals some pause and to rethink their hiring practices. Because while this is an employers market, the last thing you want is to get in trouble with the government because of your hiring practices.

College Gap vs. Racial Gap

Sorry it's been a few days since I posted but I've been busy celebrating my birthday and such... ;)

Well I'm back with some good articles:

First, from the New York Times, an interesting look into the fact that a college degree can't close the racial gap and how some candidates try to scrub their resume for anything that gives away race to a potential employer. As far as we think we've come in this country (Black President, major women candidates, etc.), we still have a long way to go in some respects.

SmartMoney asks if Wall Street is in hiring mode? Forbes answers by saying that while the economy is recovering meaning layoffs have slowed, hiring hasn't exactly started up at a large pace yet (it's also a tough time of year to hire). New York Magazine says (maybe tongue-in-cheek) that this is proof President Obama's job summit is already working.

Have a great weekend! Many more links next week!

Still Have the Dream

Despite the fact that a Black man is a leading candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination, racial harassment is a still an issue in workplaces according to MSNBC: click here.

As Clinton/Obama campaign starts to turn this battle into a race/gender issue, they may be alienating more constituents and potential voters than they think. With gender and race issues in the workplaces still a great cause of concern for many people, one can imagine some distaste for two candidates to battle each other on those grounds for the White House. The Democrats have done well in recent years building a base of minority and women voters but one wonders if some irreparable harm will be done to the candidates after the latest banter...but I digress...

In other news, also from MSNBC, a look at which businesses hold up well during a recession among other recession questions in this Q&A: click here

Lastly, a blog suggesting that you should hire people that are better than you are: click here

Small Biz HR

On our Two-for-Tuesday we do you one better her at Astron's blog...

First from the Wall Street Journal, a New Year and a new plan for small business HR: click here

Next, from the Washington Post, word that Lockheed Martin will have to pay $2.5 million in a racial discrimination case: click here

Lastly, from HR Daily Advisor, advice on why firing must be a group decision: click here