My 28-year-old niece, with whom I am staying (the rate is unbeatable), is similarly and suddenly “consulting” — mostly through the want ads on Mediabistro and Craigslist these days. The magazine for which she’s been a marketing strategist is suffering financial woes and has had to cut several positions, including hers.
“Consulting” and “freelancing” are old euphemisms for a new demographic, the upscale terms for “outta work.” Down on their luck, these newbies to the unemployment lines aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. “We’re living gig to gig,” says my niece.
How many consultants can dine on the dime of a tanking economy? A new poll by Tina Brown’s Daily Beast and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates confirms that the Sarabeth’s pair and my niece are not isolated anecdotes but are part of a trend no one would have imagined a few years ago. “Gigonomics,” Brown calls it.
The poll, conducted online among 500 employed Americans over 18, found that a third are working as freelancers or in two jobs. Of those who call themselves freelancers, 58 percent previously had a staff position with the company for which they’re now doing “gigs.”
On the Librarian listsrvs I read, there are a LOT of people both with MLIS degrees and those about to earn them (young, educated, looking to be out of work with school loan debt), who are worried about the job situation. And with good reason.
Our Legislature just cut a sizable chunk out of the state budget, a lot of it from Education. Counties are suffering and our county library has had a hiring freeze in place for about 6 months now. Florida State University also has a freeze in place, and is cutting 200 jobs. I’ve gotten emails from universities throughout the South saying the same thing: “Sorry, due to budget problems, we have decided not to fill the advertised position at this time”.
Back to librarians, at the job fair today, I met two other unemployed librarians, and heard of others who were putting in applications (as I did) for secretarial and office assistant work. Many on the lists complain about low paying jobs or not being able to find work.
The jobs just are not there. Or rather they are there, but not being allowed to be filled.
Peace? It’s getting harder to hold on to peace.
Jim Elliott <>< Florida
I feel for my friends who are in the same boat (mid twenties, pretty diplomas, pretty useless in the job market right now). It has made me appreciate my job a lot more… things that used to really annoy me now get a whispered prayer of thanks that it’s still a job to be done.
I was raised with so much “you should love your job, it should be completely fulfilling, it should be wonderful” that I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been for the concept that sometimes you work to keep a roof and have food and a car and medical care. Even if I don’t love my job right now, it’s taking care of my family — and that’s an incredible blessing that I overlooked before the economy tanked.
I’ll make a short comment and then shut up!! I too am bothered that so many people are being laid off, but I wonder why I don’t see some administration people (at all levels) laid off – am I missing something?
No, you are not. You see the situation correctly. Although, I was a director when I lost my position. Only for five months, true, but a director still.