The Struggles of the Long Term Unemployed in Michigan

When Tim Zaneske lost his information technology job in June 2009, he never dreamed that he would be unemployed for months and months and months.

Today, nearly two years later, the Flushing Township resident is still looking for permanent work. His lengthy job search has taken its toll, forcing the father of two young children to file for bankruptcy. Last month, Zaneske finally got some relief: a part-time contract job.

"You get job leads, but nine times out of 10, it's nothing," the 44-year-old said. "It's beyond frustrating."

Last year, 36% of Michigan's 590,000 unemployed workers had been searching for a job for a year or longer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was the third-highest rate in the country, behind only New Jersey and Georgia...

Some labor market experts, including Timothy Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, say they believe that the federal government should establish a temporary job creation program.

Bartik said hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers could be put to work performing public service jobs at small nonprofit organizations, doing everything from repairing schools and renovating parks to cleaning up abandoned properties.

Long-term joblessness can damage a country's long-run economic productivity, Bartik warned. And it's no secret that people who are out of work for long periods usually experience a number of negative effects, including a decline in job skills, reduced self-confidence and mental and physical health problems.

"A lot of economists believe long-term unemployment can permanently reduce the productive capacity of some people," Bartik said. "It's not in the interest of society to throw away that long-term productive capacity."

www.freep.com/article/20110327/BUSINESS06/103270499/Jobs-Michigan-Hunt-work-an-endurance-test?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE