Looking for a job is a full-time job, or so the old saying goes. And old it may be. New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tells a very different story about the 8+ million unemployed people who are still counted as part of the labor force because they have been actively seeking employment within the last month. But just how active are they?
According to data from the BLS American Time Use Survey, less than half of a typical day is spent on job search activities for 4 out of 5 of America’s unemployed. So, what is the preferred activity? Watching television. More than 80% spent more time planted in front of the TV than job searching. The runner-up activities were shopping (other than for groceries), playing or watching sports, exercising, and other recreational activities.
So, what is going on? The survey itself merely provides a measure of how people divide their time among life activities, it does not provide a rationale behind the choices. And while it is certainly true that TV entertainment options are more plentiful and accessible than ever before, the real reason behind binge watching instead of job hunting, probably goes deeper than simply choosing a distraction over finding work.
Being out of work was once a source of great shame to those who carried the scarlet ‘U’ on their chest. The experience has become so commonplace, that it has been normalized for some who see no reason to be embarrassed by their lack of employment. And while this doesn’t help put food on the table, it could remove some of the pressure to do everything possible to get back to work. Others may simply find the job search so discouraging, that they relate more to the zombies on the Walking Dead, than people in the workforce.
Scary times? Sure. But not without hope, because we are a country built on rugged individualism. We just have to find our way back to it.
Happy Labor Day!
“America is the land of the uncommon man. It is the land where man is free to develop his genius—and to get its just rewards. It is the land where each man tries to develop whatever quality he may possess and to rise to whatever degree he can, great or modest. It is not the land where one glories or is taught to glory in one’s mediocrity. No self-respecting man in America is or thinks of himself as “little,” no matter how poor he may be.” ~ Ayn Rand