Discouraged Americans dropping out of work force

The Morning Call ^ | March 9, 2004 | Simon Kennedy and Craig Torres Of Bloomberg News

[Willie Green]

Slow jobs recovery baffles economists, government officials.

Anthony Whitmore lost his job as a die press operator at Midland Steel Products in Cleveland 10 months ago and holds little hope of finding work. In Chester, Chris Rabzak, a former aerospace engineer with a law degree, is stretching out his master's program in business administration rather than jumping into the labor market.

''Every month some economist comes out and says that next month or next year things will get better. I don't believe them anymore,'' said Rabzak, 36.

''In this economy, I'm not optimistic about finding a job,'' said Whitmore, 40.

Rabzak and Whitmore are among the 1.6 million Americans who have dropped out of the U.S. work force in the past year. The percentage of those working or looking for jobs has skidded for four years and fell in February to 65.9 percent, a 16-year low, the Labor Department said Friday in Washington.

Last month, 588,000 people left the labor force as the economy created just 21,000 jobs, a sixth of the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey of 65 economists.

Erosion of the so-called participation rate underscores dangers for the Federal Reserve and President Bush as the fastest economic growth in 20 years, a projected 4.6 percent this year, fails to produce many jobs.

[Willie Green]

Treasury's Snow defends U.S. job outsourcing
Bush, Fox promote guest-worker program
Manufacturing a Burger
Backdrop Hides `Made in China' Labels

[Seth1]

Increased efficiency baffles job seekers.

[LetsRok]

If you can afford to "drop out of the workforce" then you probably didn't need a job anyway.

[vpintheak]

Aren't unemployment numbers around 5.6%? That isn't too shabby. Capitalism is dependent upon unemployment. It's an integral part of the system. All we hear is gloom and doom from the leftist media, and some here. Hitler achieved unemployment numbers of around 500,000 before WWII. I guess those are some peoples goals. You know, more government intervention and forced standards, yeah, sounds really great to me.

[Integrityrocks]

Ya.. what's up with that? How do you just "drop out of the workforce?" Wish I had that option. Then there's the one who decided to just remain a professional student, so he can stay feeding off the public education grants trough. Cry me a river...

[trebb]

Lazy spoiled welfare weenies - when I retired from the Air Force, there were not a lot of jobs in my area in S. Mississippi and we wanted to stay here. I worked 3 different "trash" jobs in the first 8 months while looking for something that I could settle into. I know a number of people who aren't working - I don't know anyone who can't work if they want to....

[NC28203]

Ya.. what's up with that? How do you just "drop out of the workforce?"

Well, one could opt out of the workforce and stay home with one's kids as opposed to working and sending them to day care if the other spouse was employed. This could very much be the case if the potential jobs were paying considerably less than the one lost.

[pfflier]

...Discouraged Americans drop out of the work force...

That's the spirit that made this country great.

[Law is not justice but process]

". . . Chris Rabzak, a former aerospace engineer with a law degree, is stretching out his master's program in business administration rather than jumping into the labor market."

Thank God it is never too late in life to be a professional student! A PhD and a law degree allowed me to avoid the workforce for 11 years. Beat that Rabzak!

[KC_Conspirator]

Outsourcing gives Kerry presidency.

[lizma]

How do you just "drop out of the workforce?"

Starting your own business some how puts you in this category. I have no idea why.

[rdb3]

If you can afford to "drop out of the workforce" then you probably didn't need a job anyway.

Hello! That was a home run.

Show 'em my motto!

[KC_Conspirator]

Hey Willie, I know many people on this board have no idea of how this happens, but I know people who have been out of work for months. These are smart, educated, and highly productive people who have sent out hundreds of resumes and gotten little or no response. Many of them have dropped out of the labort market, much like these people here.

[TXBSAFH]

Outsourcing gives Kerry presidency.


This sadly is a very real possiblity.

[Dane]

These are smart, educated, and highly productive people who have sent out hundreds of resumes and gotten little or no response

And if they started their own business they wouldn't have to worry about resumes.

BTW, I don't see a dearth of jobs in the paper. Maybe these people you know think they are to good for these jobs.

[Tempest]

I can't wait until the idiot RINO's put Kerry in office. I'm sure that'll make things much better. . .

[Willie Green]

These are smart, educated, and highly productive people who have sent out hundreds of resumes and gotten little or no response. Many of them have dropped out of the labort market, much like these people here.

Yes. And many have also been forced to accept employment and wages far below their levels of skill, training and experience.
The Bush Administration's policies are all about putting a deceptive smiley face on the downsizing and declining prosperity of the American Middle Class.

[tx_eggman]

If Anthony Whitmore can find a job in Cleveland he needs to consider moving from the rust belt to an area where he can find employment.

[tx_eggman]

If Anthony Whitmore can't find a job in Cleveland he needs to consider moving from the rust belt to an area where he can find employment.

[steplock]

Drop out of Welfare!

Then you would be surprised at how many of the lazy bums find a job!

Last time I heard (back in the 1990's), welfare payements + additional bennies (food stamps medical etc) = $40,000/yr real job.

And you wonder why they can't find a job!