EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

[VanCitySportsGuy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03unemployed.html

I was stunned when I found out you could collect EI for almost 2 years if you're in America. I know the economy is bad and my heart goes out to the umemployed people but I feel like if you can't find a job in almost 2 years, you're probably abusing the system. How many people are turning down jobs because they're "beneath" them just so they can sit at home and collect their payments?

[Cusefan]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03unemployed.html

I was stunned when I found out you could collect EI for almost 2 years if you're in America. I know the economy is bad and my heart goes out to the umemployed people but I feel like if you can't find a job in almost 2 years, you're probably abusing the system. How many people are turning down jobs because they're "beneath" them just so they can sit at home and collect their payments?

This will almost certainly get closed but here is my .02 Cents. The most you can collect per week is $400, to make this you must be making a pretty good living. You must also actively look for a job, from my experience the State does a pretty good job of making sure you do. I was on Unemployment for about 6 months while I went to school, and I found a job that paid more than $400.

I think some people get lazy, I know I did. Its nice having a break from reality, but if you look you will find a job that pays more than what you are getting from UI.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

This will almost certainly get closed but here is my .02 Cents. The most you can collect per week is $400, to make this you must be making a pretty good living. You must also actively look for a job, from my experience the State does a pretty good job of making sure you do. I was on Unemployment for about 6 months while I went to school, and I found a job that paid more than $400.

I think some people get lazy, I know I did. Its nice having a break from reality, but if you look you will find a job that pays more than what you are getting from UI.

So I can see the payments aren't that large.

After reading that article from the NY Times and most of the comments, I found it hard to believe a person with a college education and lots of job experience couldn't find a job after 99 weeks. I also found it strange how none of her 3 adult sons could help her and provide her with a place to stay.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

So I can see the payments aren't that large.

After reading that article from the NY Times and most of the comments, I found it hard to believe a person with a college education and lots of job experience couldn't find a job after 99 weeks. I also found it strange how none of her 3 adult sons could help her and provide her with a place to stay.

I had a run of 64 weeks, and I looked and applied for jobs daily. I got 3 interviews during that time. This is with a 4-year degree and 4 1/2 years experience (including managerial experience) in my field. When I finally got a job, I beat out about 30 others. Of course, I wasn't collecting unemployment, so yeah...still trying to catch up. It's harder than you think.

And Cuse, I'm fairly certain you can collect more than that in Minnesota per week. It's a state by state thing. Just looked it up, and in MN, it's $585 max.

[elgreazy1]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

I'm one of those "lazy" people who hasn't been able to find a job in almost two years and making a "fat" living off my $400 a week without insurance or any other types of benefits.

Let's not forget, I lazily worked 60+ hour weeks for 5+ years at my previous job. I started at my "gift" of a pay rate of $8.50 working graveyard shifts (5pm-5am) throughout my mid-twenties only to be "granted" a pay hike of $40k+ yr + commissions to reward my years of sloth.
/end sarcasm

Anyway, yeah, it's been awful at times even to the point I had my last home foreclosed on, but at least I'm doing something about it. I decided to go back to school and finally finish my degree because I needed to work smarter, not harder and could ill afford to put myself through the grinder like that, again. I realized the really hard way that working extremely hard, putting one's life on the side, and being overly loyal to a company will do nothing for you when it comes time for them to cut some budgets to appease stock-holders.

In that time, I've applied for countless jobs - my spreadsheet is easily over 300 detailed lines long of jobs to which I've applied throughout the last 2 years - all of which I've been qualified and overly qualified for only to rarely have a call back. The interviews in where I've been very close to a job I lost out on merely because I wasn't willing to take a massive paycut for a high-level job - think of it as being a decorated sports athlete in his prime being asked to play for the league minimum.

As of June I lost my benefits and things have gotten even worse to the point where my school is having a hard time finding openings for work study openings for a 4.0 multi-Dean's List student. The economy is in the crapper and even fast food places aren't willing to hire competent people such as myself for fear of being either undermined, outworked, out-shown by a subordinate or whatever reason.

Luckily, my fiance and I have scaled back on our living, were smart when we bought our super affordable home, and have lived within our means before any of this ever happened. My savings are gone, but at least my debts have been cleared as well.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

Yeah they check up on you, you have to apply and talk to a HR person at least once a week or 2. But other then that, how fast you can find a job depends on where you live at and what your background is. Some parts of the USA it will take A LONG time to find a job, other parts it won't take so long.

So if you have a factory background, chances are it will take you 2 years to find a job. Factories aren't hiring like they use to and really are cutting back. My brother in-law works for a factory that has an army contract to build strikers and they cut everybody down to part time, working maybe 15 to 18 hours a week now. Been that way since June, so everybody that works there is collecting part time EI.

My dad works at the main post office in Chicago, been there for over 30 years and they cut his whole division down to part time, 10 hours a week. Been that way since the middle of June. So now he gets part time EI.

[p_rushing]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03unemployed.html

I was stunned when I found out you could collect EI for almost 2 years if you're in America. I know the economy is bad and my heart goes out to the umemployed people but I feel like if you can't find a job in almost 2 years, you're probably abusing the system. How many people are turning down jobs because they're "beneath" them just so they can sit at home and collect their payments?

Most people are going to think you are harsh. The problem is that people are not willing to change and look for something different. The unemployment people do a good job, but if you want, you can give bad interviews and find ways not to be hired. If I was unemployed, I would take whatever job I could get to get paid. Even if that is flipping burgers.

With the $400 out there, you have to find a job paying more than that though, otherwise you are hurting yourself. Most people just aren't willing to do something different.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

Most people are going to think you are harsh. The problem is that people are not willing to change and look for something different. The unemployment people do a good job, but if you want, you can give bad interviews and find ways not to be hired. If I was unemployed, I would take whatever job I could get to get paid. Even if that is flipping burgers.

With the $400 out there, you have to find a job paying more than that though, otherwise you are hurting yourself. Most people just aren't willing to do something different.

That's because I didn't spend umpteen-thousand dollars to settle.

[l3ulvl]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

Yeah they check up on you, you have to apply and talk to a HR person at least once a week or 2. But other then that, how fast you can find a job depends on where you live at and what your background is. Some parts of the USA it will take A LONG time to find a job, other parts it won't take so long.

So if you have a factory background, chances are it will take you 2 years to find a job. Factories aren't hiring like they use to and really are cutting back. My brother in-law works for a factory that has an army contract to build strikers and they cut everybody down to part time, working maybe 15 to 18 hours a week now. Been that way since June, so everybody that works there is collecting part time EI.

My dad works at the main post office in Chicago, been there for over 30 years and they cut his whole division down to part time, 10 hours a week. Been that way since the middle of June. So now he gets part time EI.

I used to work at the post office in Saginaw, MI as a "casual" and they've greatly reduced the number of Casuals and thus never called me back. My stepdad works there full time and has been there since the 70s. It's getting bad, people are getting fewer hours and are not happy about it.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

Hell yeah, pissed my dad off......considering he don't live in Chicago anymore, he lives in Indiana and drives 40 miles there. My dad started in the 70s too, as a casual, then they hired him as full time after doing 3 months as a holiday casual.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

Most people are going to think you are harsh. The problem is that people are not willing to change and look for something different. The unemployment people do a good job, but if you want, you can give bad interviews and find ways not to be hired. If I was unemployed, I would take whatever job I could get to get paid. Even if that is flipping burgers.

With the $400 out there, you have to find a job paying more than that though, otherwise you are hurting yourself. Most people just aren't willing to do something different.

Flipping burgers not going to get you $400 a week, more like $400 every 2 weeks. If you worked at Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc.....full time you might get that a week. But that is IF they hire you as full time.

I know out here in Vermont I see people in their 40s working at jobs that use to be teen jobs. It is hard out there no doubt. Get in where you fit in, even if you have to drive over an hour to get there.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

Most people are going to think you are harsh. The problem is that people are not willing to change and look for something different. The unemployment people do a good job, but if you want, you can give bad interviews and find ways not to be hired. If I was unemployed, I would take whatever job I could get to get paid. Even if that is flipping burgers.

With the $400 out there, you have to find a job paying more than that though, otherwise you are hurting yourself. Most people just aren't willing to do something different.

I don't think I'm being too harsh. I think most people are probably on my side when I start to wonder if people are abusing the system if they have been collecting unemployment benefits for 99 weeks. I'm not saying everybody that reaches 99 weeks is cheating the system but I have no doubt there is a group that is though.

If you were the bread winner for your family I don't see how people would choose to just collect the payments because it's so low, but let's say you are a 21 year who was laid off from walmart making min. wage, the payments are probably higher than what that person would make so there's no incentive for this person to find work. Also most people don't want to swallow their pride and take a paycut.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

If you were the bread winner for your family I don't see how people would choose to just collect the payments because it's so low, but let's say you are a 21 year who was laid off from walmart making min. wage, the payments are probably higher than what that person would make so there's no incentive for this person to find work. Also most people don't want to swallow their pride and take a paycut.

You never make more money than you did while you were working. Unemployment benefits are based on a percentage of your Social Security reported wages over the past 4 quarters before you apply.

[iAM-IncReDiBLe-]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

I know my close friend abuse the system. He had a job with his mom the he eventually got laid off from and for a whole year collected unemployment while never ever looking for a new job. Just this past month he got his job back at the same exact place.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: EI lasts up to 99 weeks in America ... wow

I know my close friend abuse the system. He had a job with his mom the he eventually got laid off from and for a whole year collected unemployment while never ever looking for a new job. Just this past month he got his job back at the same exact place.

See, that's what the problem is. Stuff like this is what makes people think this (and other government programs) are nothing but a bunch of deadbeats mooching. I don't have the numbers, but my stance is always that this is the vast minority and that these programs do more good than harm.

Basically, you get 50% of your average gross salary from the year prior to applying per week. And it's taxable (well, ARRA made the first $2400 exempt for tax year 2009). It's just not as good a deal as some people want to make it out to be. It is designed to be a stop-gap, not a source of living. The current economic circumstances combined with an administration that favors social programs equals extension of UI. I don't think it will last forever.

There is going to be someone that tries to exploit the system no matter what the system. It's the risk you take when you create programs to benefit the public.