The Huffington Post recently pointed to the painful fact that 15 U.S. states have reached the 10% unemplyment rate, and the Federal reservce predicts the national rate will top 9.5% by the end of the year. We’re doing a little better here in Canada, with a rate of 8.6% as of June according to Stats Can. While this is still a high and unfortunate rate, the rise in unemployment has slowed in the past three months and people seem to be becoming more optimistic.
Many of my friends have lost their jobs or had their hours cut, but a few of them curiously seem to be happy about it. Most people would be despondant over losing their job, and many of them would immediately start looking for a new one. But what I’ve noticed is that some of my friends who are newly unemployed are taking this ‘opportunity’ to relax and have fun. They are among the few unemployed who do not yet carry the burden of a mortgage or other responsibilities like children. They are choosing to reduce their spending levels and live off EI for as long as they can; and they aren’t ashamed of it.
In speaking with a few of my ‘happily unemplyed’ friends I discovered that they are using this time to do all the fun things they couldn’t do while they were in school and had a 9-5 job. They are reconnecting with old friends, reading all those books that have been piling up on their bedside table, and finding news ways to be social without dropping large amounts of cash. They also aren’t worried about the future. They are young and able to quickly learn whatever new skills they need to get back in the job market. Plus, they don’t have to worry about explaining the gap in their resume to new employers. They have an easy answer to the question: “Why haven’t you been employed over the past X months?” Their response: “The recession.”
