Unemployed Search For 9 Months Before Finding Work
DETROIT (WWJ) - David Straka of the Michigan Works! office in Ferndale estimates that it's taking about six to nine months for the average worker he sees to find a job - and that's if they're putting in a lot of effort.
WWJ's Sandra McNeill caught up with some people hit hard by the unemployment crisis.
Alyssa Hall of Detroit, who has been looking for a cashier's job for two years, shared her reaction to the perception that some Michigan residents are just riding out their unemployment.
"I just laugh at them, because I know that I'm trying, you know, and that's whats important. People are going to talk so as long as you know you're doing what your supposed to do, that's what counts," Hall said.
Former autoworker Kimberly Jackson who lost her job just over a month ago said it is rough when adults and teenagers are looking for employment in the same job pool.
"Theres a lot of people out here looking for work and everybody's going to take what they can get, you know, so, it shouldn't be that way but that's how we're living now," Jackson said. "We're all in that same boat as far as trying to get gainful employment."
But Janice Simon, a substitute teacher, is keeping up hope and offers her words of advice for unemployed job seekers.
"Don't give up, because there's something out there for you. You just gotta keep on looking, like the needle in the haystack, you can't find it unless you move the hay out of the way, for sure," Simon said.
