EDD is so the business

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I filed for unemployment online. After closely reading the directions and staggering statistics of unemployment in our current economic weather, I came to realization that it's okay not to be employed right now. While reading the FAQs and Tips, the first question that was answered stated: Why is it so hard to call the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and file for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits?

In California, and across the country, unemployment has risen sharply due to the current recession and created an increased demand for UI benefits. The number of people filing for benefits has increased at least 80 percent from the same time last year and the number of calls coming into EDD’s UI call centers has doubled. Adding to the demand is the federal extension of UI benefits that EDD must also process; and the shortened holiday weeks.

Basically, there is an overwhelmingly amount of unemployed people at this time, so being on the phone would take hours to finally get in touch with a live person. Can you believe it?!

More bare facts from the Bureau of Labor :

Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

Labor force status:  Unemployment rate
Type of data:        Percent
Age:                 16 years and over

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
1998	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.3	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.4
1999	4.3	4.4	4.2	4.3	4.2	4.3	4.3	4.2	4.2	4.1	4.1	4.0
2000	4.0	4.1	4.0	3.8	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.1	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9
2001	4.2	4.2	4.3	4.4	4.3	4.5	4.6	4.9	5.0	5.3	5.5	5.7
2002	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.9	6.0
2003	5.8	5.9	5.9	6.0	6.1	6.3	6.2	6.1	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7
2004	5.7	5.6	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.4	5.4
2005	5.2	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.0	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	4.8
2006	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.4
2007	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.9
2008	4.9	4.8	5.1	5.0	5.5	5.6	5.8	6.2	6.2	6.6	6.8	7.2

• In December, the number of unemployed persons increased by 632,000 to 11.1 million
  
• In 2007, when the recession began, the unemployment rate rose to 2.3%, laying off 3.6. million
• The unemployment rates for specific demographics: adult men (7.2 percent), adult women (5.9 percent), and whites (6.6 percent) increased in December. The jobless rates for teenagers (20.8 percent), blacks (11.9 percent), and Hispanics (9.2 percent) were little changed over the month. The unemployment rate for Asians was 5.1 percent in December, not seasonally adjusted.
• Temporary agency workers unemployment rate rose by 315,000 to 6.5 million in December. Over the past 12 months, the size of this group has increased by
  2.7 million.

THESE NUMBERS ARE VERY DEPRESSING.

I never thought I'd have to partake in this 'rites of passage' into adulthood so soon. The economy is steadfastly declining and us mere mortals have to face the residual. I don't pity myself, nor do I pity others going through this because quite frankly, the nation is dissolving unless something or someone resurrects us from the death of national morale and opportunity.

I do have hope, nonetheless. It will take some time for us to finally rehabilitate to our former state. Maybe a few years from now we'll look back and appreciate our resilience through such a tough time in our economic climate.