Employment Problems in the US Essay -- Work Corporation Job Loss Unemp

Employment Problems In The U.S. Downsizing, restructuring, rightsizing, even a term as obscure as census readjustment has been used to describe the plague that has been affecting corporate America for years and has left many of its hardest working employees without work. In the year 2001 we had nearly 1.8 million jub cuts, that’s almost three times as much as the year 2000(Matthew Benz). In the 1990's, one million managers of American corporations with salaries over $40,000 also lost their jobs. In total, Fortune 500 companies have eliminated 4.4 million positions since 1979 including the 65,000 positions cut in February of 2002 (Ellen Florian). Although this downsizing of companies can have many reasons behind it and cannot be avoided at times, there are simple measures a company can take to make the process easier on the laid-off employees and those who survive with the company. There are many reasons why a company might need to downsize. In today's corporate America, it is a plain fact that far fewer employees are necessary to maintain a successful operation. Many times, it is the case where a technological advance or breakthrough makes it possible to replace a previously human job. It is also an all-too-common scenario that outside influences such as sudden shifts in the market or changed government policies force corporate executives to make coinciding decisions regarding their staff and these external changes. The fall in interest rates and energy prices have helped companies control spending in the economic recession, but controlling these costs has taken some of the focus away from there employees and satisfying there wants and needs (Economist Vol. 362). Yet another problem facing the employment of our citizens. Another one of the major problems in today's business world are the salaries being paid to the workers. Since employers are not paying their workers high wages, the workers have little to put back into the economy. Some cities have decided to make mandated pay raises for employees who have been with firms for so many years. It would also guarantee that employees make well above poverty levels to insure that more money is being put back into the economy (Eric Roston). This causes the system to plummet and forces companies to downsize to keep from going under. Wall Street firms cut positions in order to bring the Dow Jones Security ... ...ortunities for growth and skill development. After a restructure, there are many ways an employee can grow vertically and horizontally within their company. Since so many positions are eliminated in such a process, the remaining employees sometimes need to learn new skills and adapt to handling greater amounts of work than ever before. While this may be an inconvenience at first, these skills and abilities can assist these people in future job searches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The downsizing process is a fact of life. It affects all people from managers to laid off employees and their families as well as those who remain with the company. It is something that will continue to occur with no end in sight. As long as our world market continues to grow, so too will the concept of downsizing grow. This process can lead to psychological problems, and creates anxiety and frustration for those of both ends of it. This is a problem that most likely will not have an easy solution, or at least not any time soon. It is something that we all must deal with in one way or another, and as for the victims of downsizing, the only thing they can do is try to piece their lives back together and hope for the best.