Funemployment
Funemployment. Paycation. The Unemploymentality. Every generation has an argot to describe the confusing terrain of joblessness — the dole, deadbeat dads, UB40, and so on — and the lexicon of younger casualties in the most severe American economic downturn since World War II speaks volumes.
Here’s how the blog Recessionwire defines “funemployment”: “A period of joblessness that you actually enjoy — maybe you get to lay out, sleep in, work out, read up. It helps to have savings, severance, or an unemployment check to help pay the bills.
We’re hearing this word used more and more, especially as people realize they may not be able to find a new job right away, so they might as well try to enjoy the time off.”
Neil Howe, an expert on generational psychology and coauthor of Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069, says the sunny outlook of laid-off young workers is a symptom of the endemic hopefulness witnessed in the so-called Millennial generation of young professionals whose formative years coincided with the longest economic expansion in American history.
Like many social trends, the concept of funemployment is also a product, in part, of government policy. As a result of provisions in the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the maximum timeframe for receiving unemployment insurance has been increased to 79 weeks, according to Patrick Joyce, spokesman for the California EDD. Previously unaffordable post-layoff health-insurance premiums have been partly subsidized through expansion of the COBRA program.
Continue Reading: “Funemployment”
Photo by SF Weekly.
Sandy on June 9th, 2009 11:24 am
A group of concerned citizens have organized a petition in regard to socialized health insurance. Their concern is to raise your voice against government-run health insurance reform plans. When it comes to health insurance.
Jaclyn on June 9th, 2009 6:34 pm
I can certainly understand why at some point you would just want to lay back and enjoy your time off and catch up on everything that you haven’t had a chance to do while you were working. But on the other hand I would think that knowing the fact that you may not find another job right away would also at the same time make you want to hang on to the money you do have saved up for as long as possible considering you don’t know when the next job will come around.
RedHotFranchises on June 9th, 2009 8:15 pm
Losing a job can indeed be tough but people with a positive mindset moves on and ultimately find a better job than the ones they used to have. Make through the stages as quickly as possible, be financially smart, avoid unnecessary spending and make an action plan. Whatever you decide to do next, it’s important to make a plan and commit to it. Don’t succumb to laziness and procrastination. Write a to-do list and focus on accomplishing at least one task everyday. If you’ve decided to go back to the job market, then update your resume and strategize where and how you’ll find your next work. Call your contacts and inform them that you’re looking for employment. Network like crazy and market yourself.
Leave a Reply