The many faces behind the unemployment numbers

Friday, July 15, 2011

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Numbers can be coldly impersonal. Consider unemployment figures. Each month, we see stories in the news telling us whether the number of people who filed for unemployment benefits rose or fell the month before. But those statistics involve much more than raw data.

Each number represents a real, living person who is out of work, a family that is struggling to avoid bankruptcy, or a person who wonders whether he or she will ever find another middle class job. Even worse, those monthly unemployment figures don’t include the truly desperate: people who have been out of work for so long, they have given up hope of ever being employed again.

I was reminded of the human cost of unemployment when I talked with people at the job fairs I hosted in Derry and Rochester last month. Nearly 400 job seekers attended both events, people who are unemployed or underemployed, and who are eagerly looking for new opportunities. One man told me he has been out of work for three years. Think about that for a minute; the last time he got a paycheck was 2008. Another man said he has had to use his savings to pay the bills while he looks for a new job. As a result, he now wonders whether he can afford to keep his child in college for another year. The stories went on and on, and they truly tugged at my heart.

But I saw something else at those job fairs. I saw people who have borne the brunt of this bad economy, who have been hit by layoffs and company closings, but who refuse to stay down. These men and women are as tough as the granite our state is known for, and they refuse to give up. They don’t want Washington to support them; they want to go on supporting themselves.

So while the first round of job fairs that I hosted is over, the need for my ongoing “Getting Granite Staters Back to Work” jobs initiative isn’t. As long as good, hardworking people need help finding good, middle class jobs, I will keep on helping them.

My staff is already planning another round of special events. We are working on details for a job fair for veterans, to assist them in making the transition from military to civilian life. We are working with Belknap County Economic Development and the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce on an innovators conference to help inventors turn good ideas into a sound business – and to put more people to work, too. And we’re developing plans for a manufacturer’s summit so companies that make products can expand and grow their payrolls.

But that’s just part of my effort. You see, until there is a significant change in the way Washington handles our country’s finances, we can’t return to prosperity. Decades of irresponsibility with the federal budget and spending (for which both political parties share full responsibility, by the way) have created the mess that is delaying recovery.

Until Washington finally gets serious about bringing spending under control, the need for more job fairs will go on. Until the Senate realizes it is time to stop playing fiscal shell games and join the House in passing a responsible budget, too many Granite Staters will keep wondering whether the American Dream of having a good, middle class job has passed them by. Until we restore stability to the way Washington conducts the nation’s business, job creators will be left wondering what curve ball could come their way next, and will remain hesitant to take on new employees.

I look forward to the day when the need for job fairs fades into the past, and they go the way of poodle skirts, Edsels and sock hops. But until that day arrives, I will continue doing everything I can to bring Granite State job seekers and job creators together.

I look forward to reporting back to you in two weeks on the latest developments in Washington. In the meantime, if I can be of service to you, or if you want to share your thoughts, suggestions or concerns with me, please call either my district office in Manchester at 641-9536 or my Washington office at (202) 225-5456, or contract me through my Web site at www.Guinta.House.Gov.

You can also follow what I’m doing 24/7 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repfrankguinta and on Twitter at @RepFrankGuinta.

Until next time, please know that I am always on your side and am actively fighting for New Hampshire’s interests in Washington.

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta represents New Hampshire District 1 in Washington D.C. His column, “Frankly Speaking” can be read in the Merrimack Journal and Bedford Journal twice a month. He can be contacted in Washington at 1223 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515 or by phone at 1-202-225-5456. His New Hampshire office is at 33 Lowell St., Manchester, NH 03101 or 641-9536. Guinta can also be reached via e-mail by visiting https://guinta.house.gov/contact-me. You can also follow what he’s doing 24/7 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repfrankguinta and on Twitter at @RepFrankGuinta.