Brazil's youth rebellion against government, unemployment, a world-wide crisis

[caption id="attachment_20647" align="alignleft" width="300"] Gramado, a symbol of the rich, against whom youth rebel in Brazil[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---Youth rebellion is occurring in many places around the world as young people can’t get jobs.  So in Brazil, as in Egypt, young people are taking to the streets to vent their frustrations.  Will the US see the same kind of showdowns in the future?

In Brazil today newscasters hypothesize the problem of student rioting will get even worse, due to the political issues inside the country.  Despite the fact that formal figures depict Brazil’s unemployment low, the fact is that many of the youth are vastly underemployed, or are not in any  kind of job or job training program.

Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in Washington, DC., tells us,“The protests led to a complete change in the political landscape in Brazil,” Sotero said. “The youth, which has typically been alienated from the political discussion, is now clearly a new layer of that landscape, and can be mobilized.”

Joblessness in Egypt is also a significant problem, with a record 13.2 percent of the population without jobs, while eight out of every 10 of these people are under age 30 and 25% of them have a university degree or higher.

And even as Congressional leaders in the United States are at loggerheads over the debt ceiling and government shutdown, young people, like those in other countries, are facing unemployment in greater and greater numbers, even as many of them are college educated.

While many in the United States bemoan the unemployment and the growing gap between rich and poor, it seems the problems of getting a job if you are under the age of 30 is a worldwide phenomenon.  The biggest concern, however, is how that overwhelming issue can impact how young people react to government and whether or not they will trust the government to help in any situation.  And the question is asked:  Will they follow the Brazilian and Egyptian models and take to the streets, as an outgrowth from the previous year's Occupy Movement?

 

 

 

Workers Cooperatives Can Create Jobs

[caption id="attachment_13967" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sitting in the cold[/caption]

Bob Ewing - Yesterday, as I left the dentist’s office I saw a man sitting on a bench in the mall about 30 feet away. I recognized him as someone I had seen in various spots around the City. There was a quiet air about him that suggested he was trying not to be noticed.

The weather here was brutal yesterday, minus 28 Celsius, and being outside for more than a few minutes, even properly dressed, was not a lot of fun, so, perhaps he was seeking temporary shelter.

My purpose is not to label this individual, but to use the experience to underscore how serious the rate of unemployment is here, and elsewhere.

People need jobs to buy stuff and housing is one of the most expensive items we purchase.

How can we as a society transition from a place where hunger and homelessness are growing, to a place were people can enter the marketplace and buy what they need? Worker’s cooperatives are one way that this transition can be carried out.

A cooperative is not a business unto itself but a business model; a business model that sells goods or services just as any other business does, the difference rests in the worker cooperatives’ structure.

Workers cooperatives are democratic, as all members of a co-op are equal decision makers in the enterprise, and employ the one-member, one vote, process of making decisions. Each worker owns a share in the cooperative and the enterprise is owned and controlled by the workers.

How can this make a difference in the unemployment rate? People have skill sets; some are capable of designing and making items, chairs, jewelry and so on. Others have great math skills and can do book keeping, still others can plan an ad campaign or handle public relations. Separately they are not able to run a successful business; but working together or cooperatively they have what it takes.

Some people do not attempt to set up their own business because they know they lack all the skills needed, and cannot afford to hire; others venture forth, some succeed, others do not.
When the circle is expanded and others are involved, then the picture changes; the potential resource base widens and the result is a stronger corporate foundation.

There are agencies that can assist in the development of your cooperative enterprise. Here in New Brunswick, you only need three people to get started and there is a provincial council that is very knowledgeable and helpful.

A word of caution, be careful about who you ask to men a member; just because someone is a family member or a long time friend does not mean they have the skills the enterprise demands or that you can work together, especially when times are going bad, which can happen in any business.

The United Nations has declared 2012 to be The Year of the Cooperative, take a hint and take a look.

Growing number of seniors on unemployment lines

[caption id="attachment_10026" align="alignleft" width="241" caption="Elderly worker"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff--NEW YORK, NY, - The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a number of New York employment discrimination lawyers  report an increase in age discrimination lawsuits, as more and more seniors observe they are finding their age counts against them when looking for a job in the economic downturn and so should take preemptive measures.


"Age discrimination is an equal opportunity problem. Members of all races, genders industries or regions can be affected," said David Perecman, a New York employment discrimination lawyer with over 30 years of experiences dealing with employment discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace claims in New York.

An age discrimination lawsuit (Civil Action No. 1:11-cv-11732-DJC) was filed by the EEOC against Texas Roadhouse restaurants recently.  The Texas Roadhouse represents 350 restaurants where it is said older applicants were rejected because of their age.   A class action lawsuit indicates that an organization has sufficient issues for a number of people to want to file in order to reduce discrimination in larger establishments, but these are difficult cases to win, according to legal experts because of the variety of issues and exceptions that can occur in the cases.  That is why these same experts maintain people should prepare themselves for the age discrimination issues that occur in the workplace.
Laurie McCann, senior attorney for AARP tells us that the reason many people don’t file complaints is because age discrimination is very difficult to prove.  Instead of waiting until you're laid off and filing a complaint, it may be better to protect yourself sooner, says McCann, and take preemptive measures.

What are these preemptive measures?  McCann says, "Take advantage of any sort of training, especially in computer skills and technology. Make sure you're not getting behind. Maintain your professionalism, down to your dress and hairstyle."  She also says getting feedback from a manager is important in a courtroom where an employer might have to explain why he or she fired someone who was given a good review.  Lori Rassas, an attorney and author, reminds folks also that it’s age related factors that are important, so the saying a person has too much experience could be a clue to age discrimination.

Should you sue if you’re not hired for a job?  Experts like Rassas say age discrimination is even more difficult to prove.  “It’s harder to do,” she says, “It’s not worth it. “

Adrian Crawford, an  employment partner at law firm Kingsley Napley, maintains,: "It is noteworthy that while age discrimination claims are still a long way behind sex discrimination, they are now catching up with disability claims and have overtaken race-related claims to be the third most frequent type of discrimination action.

"Everybody has an age so anyone can potentially formulate an age discrimination claim. This may explain why there are already so many claims even before we have felt the impact of the abolition of the default retirement age, which is likely to lead to a huge increase in age discrimination.



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Unemployment, social and political rancor related to sense ofentitlement

[caption id="attachment_7756" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Unemployed in California 2007"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff - “$8.50?  I wouldn’t work for that.  Besides I don’t want to have to stand on my feet all day if I can help it."  The twenty-something who had been unemployed for nearly a year was looking for “something better,” which raises questions about work and attitude and how much of the latter figures into the nation’s unemployment figures.

At the local Bed, Bath and Beyond in the Hillsboro area near Portland a sign spells out visibly to passersby the words “Help Wanted.”  The sign has been in the window for more than three months.  When a journalist asked if the management was truly looking for new employees or just wanted to keep a list for reference on an ongoing basis, the message was clear that the store needed additional personnel.  An additional comment came with the information, “it’s hard to find good people for this kind of work.”

Work values are in part a cultural issue mixed with age and education.  These are not, however, the main areas of focus when unemployment figures are given.  We don’t know how many jobs remain vacant vs. those who won’t fill those jobs because the work itself is not of the nature an individual might like to perform.

A study in the UK reported in 2004 provides some answers about unemployment and worker preferences.   The research was based on 300 registered unemployed people in Scotland.  The issue is whether there is a reluctance among the unemployed to seek service work and how that might differ from other job seeking groups.  The study also examined differences in job seekers’ attitudes towards entry-level work in retail, hospitality and call center work.    Results showed that a considerable minority of research subjects said they would not accept entry-level service work in retail and hospitality.  Older men were particularly reluctant to consider these jobs.  Young people without specific experience in these areas also were reluctant to consider these jobs.

An important study conducted in 1978 gives substantial clues to the attitudes of youth towards entry level and service work.  In an economy where there are a substantial number of college and trade school graduates, there has been a growing sense of entitlement for higher paying jobs with career ladders and social acceptability.  That sense of entitlement prohibits the notion of accepting the job that is lesser than one’s preconceived expectations of work even during difficult times.  In fact researchers found this attitude responsible for large numbers of unemployed among college-educated young adults.  Research also found a higher level of radical response to the unrealized aspirations of these youth, which may be one of the reasons for violence during periods of unrest, as has been demonstrated recently in Europe and the Middle East.  The highly educated worker is apt to have a radical approach towards having the right work with the right pay.  At the same time the findings also determined that there is a far broader base of entitlement belief that is more universal and found among the less educated, working-class young, what researchers call “individualistic” or “universalistic” entitlement.     This is seen as potentially responsible  for discontent during periods of social and economic change.

This attitude towards work and resistance to jobs considered below one’s expectations is not confined to the developed nations of the world.  In Africa there are ongoing discussions about long-term unemployment among the youth and how attitude impacts job choice.  A blog specific to the issues of education and work in Ghana tells us that as an increasing number of institutions have churned out more and more college graduates, these new graduates have certain work expectations that include salaried jobs with status.  The young people have a fear of self employment, or ventures that require individual initiative and work that does not have a predictable income at the outset.  The result is that large numbers of young adults are unemployed.

Unemployment is an issue around the world and not confined to one age or ethic group.  Seniors face the dilemma of competing with younger people for those salaried, status jobs and are also reluctant to work considerably below their previous wage and status.

High unemployment is related to economic conditions, but research shows it also has to do with attitude.  There are jobs that are not being filled and workers reluctant to take these jobs.  Some say the responsibility is that of prospective employers to raise wages, while others maintain there should be an attitude change instead.  But whatever the solution becomes, the sense of entitlement and rising expectations in an economic downturn are at the core of social and political unrest.

Recession, unemployment dramatically increases risk of suicide

Carol Forsloff - Science finds a two to three times risk
of suicide in the mentally healthy population when a person is
unemployed.  The rate of long-term unemployment makes suicide a serious
issue, becoming increasingly pronounced in 2010.

Long-term unemployment means loss of homes, places to live, loss of contacts from

loss of communication devices and loss of self-concept.  With this comes
depression, without financial resources for help.

In an aimless circle, an individual is at risk for suicide, especially when there seems to be no end in sight, as CNN reported earlier this year regarding long-term unemployment.

We
all have heard about people jumping out of windows when the stock
market crashed in the 1920's.  Now there are stories on unemployment
forums of people who have killed themselves because the circle of despair, they believe, leaves them no alternative.

What
happens is that depression turns to anger, which is the face of
feelings of despair.  Anger is then displaced on families, friends and
even on talk forums, increasing even more the sense of frustration and
isolation.  That anger is often associated with workplace issues, either on the job or out of work and reflections on what one has lost in comparison with those who are still working.

That
person who looks through the proverbial window and sees satisfied
workers, feels isolated and angry.  It is that type of person who can
also "go postal" and rather than turn the violence on themselves, turn
it against others as well.

Last year Sodahead,
a well-known online newspaper - blog, reported on what they observed to
be a particularly horrendous event. "What a tragedy! The bodies of five
small children and their parents, all shot to death, in two upstairs
rooms of the family's home. The father shot and killed his 5 children,
wife, and then shot himself. The man left a note saying, "With no job
and 5 kids, better to end our lives." He also said on the note that he
blames his former company for getting laid off. Officials say man killed
family after he and his wife were terminated from jobs."

The
unemployment figures continue to stay high in the present recession,  as CNN reports,
with long-term unemployment growing.  This, mental health experts

declare, is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by communities.