Mesquite Lion
What is Underemployment?
Throughout Mesquite everyday most of us leave our homes to go out and earn
a living. We work at a job in order to pay the bills or earn money buy something
we desire for ourselves or for someone else.
When we are not working, we are shopping or finding some kind entertainment
for ourselves. Leaving the work for somebody else, to serve us, if only for a
little while.
Form Retail Row to Restaurant Row and back to Town East Mall, workers are
running the engine of progress and prosperity here in Mesquite. But for most of
us work isn't anywhere near what we require.
Like the rest of the nation, Mesquite deals with two of the biggest concerns
facing the American workforce. Unemployment and Underemployment. Most
everyone knows what unemployment means, not so with the situation of
underemployment. Which incidentally, most people find themselves in.
But, does anyone know what underemployment is? Do you know what it means
to be underemployed?
In economics, the term: Underemployment, has multiple meanings. All of them
involve underutilization of labour that is missed by official definitions and
measurements of 'unemployment'.
Inadequate employment, i.e. Underemployment, may involve a situation which
workers are overqualified for their jobs or work fewer hours than they would
prefer. Then again workers may find themselves attached to a less than
desirable job because of needed benefits such as health insurance.
Still some, out of necessity, may have to work two or more jobs just to make
ends meet. Others may seek out new employment which offers additional
hours and/or higher wages to work.
This can be very frustrating to underemployed workers. They would prefer to
work more hours, they may be considered full-time workers, but worked less
than 35 hours in a week for economic reasons such as: short time, stood
down, and insufficient work available. This may lead them to seek out work
which offers more hours but which they may be overqualified for. A gourmet
chef serving as a bellboy or a restaurant manager working as bicycle courier
are good examples of this type of situation.
But by far the most common form of underemployment is when workers work
only Part-time when they are able and willing to work full-time. Employers may
only hire employees for peak hours of the day, like lunchtime or rush hour.
They may only need help on weekends as well, but not during the week.
This makes it very hard on the working man and woman. Not being able to
work or earn enough to live on. Its frustrating to a person who only makes
enough money to survive and not to fully enjoy the fruits of there labour. When
they have to work all day long at more than one job or have to stick-it-out at
some dead end job just because they couldn't afford healthcare without it. And
if they do become sick, the need of a job compels them to still come in and
work regardless for fear that they may be fired.
The worse may be when workers with children never get to spent time with
them and still have to pay child care, all because they cannot afford not to work.
The problem is a hard one and it cannot be easily resolved. I do think it can be
corrected anytime soon. It would take a fundamental change in our society to
remedy it. For now we can only manage it the best we can and hope for a better
day to dawn for the American worker.
a living. We work at a job in order to pay the bills or earn money buy something
we desire for ourselves or for someone else.
When we are not working, we are shopping or finding some kind entertainment
for ourselves. Leaving the work for somebody else, to serve us, if only for a
little while.
Form Retail Row to Restaurant Row and back to Town East Mall, workers are
running the engine of progress and prosperity here in Mesquite. But for most of
us work isn't anywhere near what we require.
Like the rest of the nation, Mesquite deals with two of the biggest concerns
facing the American workforce. Unemployment and Underemployment. Most
everyone knows what unemployment means, not so with the situation of
underemployment. Which incidentally, most people find themselves in.
But, does anyone know what underemployment is? Do you know what it means
to be underemployed?
In economics, the term: Underemployment, has multiple meanings. All of them
involve underutilization of labour that is missed by official definitions and
measurements of 'unemployment'.
Inadequate employment, i.e. Underemployment, may involve a situation which
workers are overqualified for their jobs or work fewer hours than they would
prefer. Then again workers may find themselves attached to a less than
desirable job because of needed benefits such as health insurance.
Still some, out of necessity, may have to work two or more jobs just to make
ends meet. Others may seek out new employment which offers additional
hours and/or higher wages to work.
This can be very frustrating to underemployed workers. They would prefer to
work more hours, they may be considered full-time workers, but worked less
than 35 hours in a week for economic reasons such as: short time, stood
down, and insufficient work available. This may lead them to seek out work
which offers more hours but which they may be overqualified for. A gourmet
chef serving as a bellboy or a restaurant manager working as bicycle courier
are good examples of this type of situation.
But by far the most common form of underemployment is when workers work
only Part-time when they are able and willing to work full-time. Employers may
only hire employees for peak hours of the day, like lunchtime or rush hour.
They may only need help on weekends as well, but not during the week.
This makes it very hard on the working man and woman. Not being able to
work or earn enough to live on. Its frustrating to a person who only makes
enough money to survive and not to fully enjoy the fruits of there labour. When
they have to work all day long at more than one job or have to stick-it-out at
some dead end job just because they couldn't afford healthcare without it. And
if they do become sick, the need of a job compels them to still come in and
work regardless for fear that they may be fired.
The worse may be when workers with children never get to spent time with
them and still have to pay child care, all because they cannot afford not to work.
The problem is a hard one and it cannot be easily resolved. I do think it can be
corrected anytime soon. It would take a fundamental change in our society to
remedy it. For now we can only manage it the best we can and hope for a better
day to dawn for the American worker.