General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should there be a limit on how long one can receive unemployment benefits? [View all]I've known people who couldn't find a job. They had no skills for a decent job, and all the scut jobs were taken. It was down to dumb luck--did they show up at the right time or happen to impress the job-granter at just the right moment?
On the other hand, some of the people who couldn't find a job were young folk who I wouldn't hire if they were 10 times more qualified. Didn't know how to comport themselves and I wouldn't let them around customers. Too full of themselves to actually serve a client, they demanded that everybody--the customers, the boss, their coworkers--serve them. They want income, they don't want a job.
But I've also known people that wouldn't take less than a certain amount. They had their dignity, and collecting unemployment for a year was less injurious to their self-esteem than taking a scut job that was beneath them. I learned quickly when I was unemployed that "nobody would rather be unemployed" isn't quite true. There are those who would rather be unemployed than take jobs they don't like or feel is worth their unique gifts. Sometimes the reason *was* that they made more in unemployment than they would working and needed to make their house payments. To take a low-paid job would mean recasting their lifestyle.
Solution: Yeah, kept long-term unemployment. But make it diminish by a certain amount every 6 months until it's down to 90% of full-time minimum wage.