Jul 2, 2009 7:19 pm US/Eastern
Economic Slump Troubling Tri-State Job-Seekers
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
Job seekers wait in line to speak to a recruiter during a job fair. (File photo)
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Employers cut 467,000 jobs in june, bringing the unemployment rate to 9.5 percent. That means that, in June, 14.7 million people across the country were unemployed.
After losing her job in May, Toni Badagliacca officially joined the ranks of the unemployed in June, leaving her feeling "petrified" and "depressed."
Like millions of others, she's looking hard for a new job, and she's not picky.
"Administrative assistant, bookkeeping, payroll, I also waitress, I'm a dental assistant," Badagliacca says.
Unfortunately, job hunting in this recession is only growing tougher.
When the recession began in December 2007, the median amount of time people were out of work stood at a little more than two months. These days, that has risen to more than four months.
George Pettit lost his job at Columbia University Medical Center last September. Ten months later, he's still looking for full-time work.
Pettit says the May jobless numbers gave him hope that things were turning around – and then he saw the June figures.
"So when the numbers did come out, and they weren't as good as the previous month, it's sort of one step ahead and two steps back," Pettit says.
Pettit's also disappointed in the results, so far, of the Obama stimulus package, which the president said would create or save 3.5 million jobs.
"It's very disappointing, not only in my personal sense, but for what we all had hoped would be better times that don't appear to be on the horizon," Pettit says.
Still, Pettit says he wakes up every day, determined to plug away – finding a job is full-time work.
A top advisor to the president says the jobless rate will continue to rise through September, but to then improve in the final quarter of the year.
For more on Toni Badagliacca's story and her struggle to find work in this economic slump, check out Tony Aiello's blog
here.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths
Click to enlarge
Bronx Fire Leaves Dozens Homeless Before Holidays 45 mins ago 
Schumer: Dems Ready To Go-It-Alone On Health Care 40 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments