How have you been unemployed/laid off?

[d.mcc]

I wanted to do an informal survey based on our current economy, see how people are fairing and what they are doing to get by.

I have been out of work for 13 months, scraping by on the occasional freelance job and unemployment benefits [[which are about to run out).

How is everyone else hanging in there?

[Papasito]

I was laid off in Feb of 09, was enemployed for two months before finding a job. I worked the new job from May to July 09 and got laid off again. I was unemployed from July through November 09, I got a job in November and fortunately still work there!

[Bobl]

Lost an outsourced job, two years ago. Have had several short term jobs since, drawing unemployment compensation in between. Also did asphalt work, boat detailing, and some landscaping. These are more difficult than they were forty years ago! Currently working on call. Some weeks are full time, others 8 hours or less.
Worked all my life, drawing unemployment once before, during the recession of 1982/1983 for six months.
The difference between then and now is, we thought the economy [[and employment) would bounce back then.

[Jimaz]

Presenting the employment growth "Bikini Graph". Hang in there, brothers.

[Corn.Bot]

Somehow we've been making ends meet in recent years, but to be honest, I'm not sure how.

I'm happy to brag I've been with my employer for 16 years, the last 9 in my present position. Traditionally, mine was always the 'second income,' the bucks we used for pizza dinners and frittering, as it was about half of what my spouse earned on the average.

That changed a few years ago. My spouse, who has been either unemployed or under-employed since 2003 when his career went to India without him, lost his most recent job this past January after being there 6 months. He's been collecting unenjoyment since then, except for a 4-week stint working the census, and is now coming up on his first extension. Our 25-yr-old son, who moved back in with us last year due to his own employment problems, has been out of work again since March but has finally been approved to collect unemployment, too. Thank God, because he tries very hard not to be a burden to us, but he is a grown man and needs to eat and have a decent pair of shoes; I'm happy we can help even if he hates that he has to ask us. Once he's able to give us a little toward rent or food, it's going to feel like we won the lottery.

If either of these men get an actual job that pay a reasonable wage [[at this point, that's anything above minimum hourly), I'm not sure what I will do.