What if Allah na karey, you were unemployed and the job market was such that you could not find a job in your field. Would you accept government benefits (past the limited unemployment benefits) or would you take any paying job, including a manual job?
In other words how important is the “status” of your job?
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
status is important but God forbid if i am ever going to be in such situation i will choose a low paying job then living on food stamps 
..
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
hopefully I will have put away for just such an occasion and I will be able to ride it out but in the event that this is not possible then I will prefer to take whatever job I can get my hands on.......
status is not important to me.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
I agree with Muzna and Firenze. "Status" is not as important as my self esteem. I would pick a low pay job over food stamps
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Happened to me, when I came back from Saudi, I was over 50 had been away from UK for 20 years and 9/11 had just happened, couldnt find a job, was unemployed for over two years, did not sign up for unemployment allowance, eventually got together with my friend and started our own business. Those two years were rough but self esteem was more important and didnt sign up. I would have taken any job but none was available, status was not important.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Yeah, would never sign up, to me wouldn't feel right.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Sherysh is this in reference to Flaherty’s announcement of what would constitute a “suitable employment” and “reasonable” effort by unemployed folks? 
BTW there was a really funny cartoon in globe and mail (at least I found it hysterical, that too at breakfast)
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Allah na karey in such situation, any job will do.
I have a family that counts on me and their well being is much more important for me than type and status of job. That can take a back seat. Also, I'll leave govt allowance for the people who deserve it more than I do....
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Sort of. The Flaherty announcement came a few days after I had a conversation with my BIL who was telling me that the unemployment rate on the East Coast is really high and people are turning to social assistance after their EI runs out. The kicker though is, that a lot of manual labour jobs are being filled by foerign labourers because the locals think it’s beneath them. It was that disconnect that surprised me - jobs to be had, but locals unwilling to do them because the jobs are not what they want.
And the cartoon is hilarious!
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
love the cartoon.
the disconnect is not new Sehrysh.....this is something that has been happening in Canada for years......locals find the jobs available to be "beneath" them and go on UI while immigrants happy to even have a job are willing to do whatever it takes.
I think that as long as I am physically and mentally capable of earning a living, I'd prefer to do that then to sit on my heels and wait for something to come along.....
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Will do the job, ALLAH ney banana hi isi liye hai.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
any job > no job
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Allah na karey in such situation, any job will do.
I have a family that counts on me and their well being is much more important for me than type and status of job. That can take a back seat. Also, I'll leave govt allowance for the people who deserve it more than I do....
I hear this alot and while I can't object to the reasoning behind it since I've used it myself in other aspects, I wonder, who exactly decides who deserves it and doesn't?
If you don't take it for your own pride, that's perfectly alright, but...I see ppl who look down on those who get UI/Foodstamps...without even knowing their circumstances and whatnot....but then say "save it for those who deserve it"...so who deserves it???
I dunno, maybe I'm just a little surprised at the attitude surrounding food stamps/unemployment because when I worked, 90% of the ppl I came across had those.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
May Allah never show us unemployment days, but if it would happen, then do whatever is halal disregard of social status. Your family is not going to be feeded by your neighbor nor relative, it will indeed you on the ground who battle each day to earn money and fulfill the reasonable demand of your household.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
There were times when i didn't have no job for couple of months. What i ended up doing is taking manual labor job instead. It was good learning experience i must say!. And in the past i have taken EI but thats it. There is something called OW which is: Ontario Works. This is the social assistance for people who ran out of their EI.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
I hear this alot and while I can't object to the reasoning behind it since I've used it myself in other aspects, I wonder, who exactly decides who deserves it and doesn't?
If you don't take it for your own pride, that's perfectly alright, but...I see ppl who look down on those who get UI/Foodstamps...without even knowing their circumstances and whatnot....but then say "save it for those who deserve it"...so who deserves it???
I dunno, maybe I'm just a little surprised at the attitude surrounding food stamps/unemployment because when I worked, 90% of the ppl I came across had those.
Think this way.
I believe that I can count on me -- always. I am confident that I can (inshallah) earn enough for my family to live OK life no matter what the circumstances are. I'll leave Govt support/Food stamps for homeless people, for people who do not have any professional trait and for some reasons (lets say disability?) they can not do the labor job.
Only I can decide if I deserve food stamp or not. NO one else can.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
False choice. Minimum wage is a joke. ( I think after a couple of decades it was raised by a small amount).
Raise the minimum wage to a level that allows someone working 50 hrs axweek to feed a family.
Minimum wage is kept low precisely because immigrants are willing to work at any wage.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
Easier said than done my friends. Federal minimum wage rate is 7.25 per hour and you will make $290 a week working for 40 hours in most states. Unemployment check is $400 per week.
If your family counts on you then you can’t afford to loose any cash in such situation. Families who live on minimum wage do need help to survive and that where food stamps and other government assistance come into play. There is nothing wrong with people getting assistance when they need it.
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
^ in bad times, you will most likely work 60 (or more) hours a day and not 40 AND most likely your SO will also work few hours to help the family out ....
Main bread earner: 60 * 10.25 (min wage here in Ontario) : 615/week = around 2500/month
S/O : 20 * 10.25 = 205/week = around 800/month
3200/3300 are enough for a family to SURVIVE
I am sure you know that when you are surviving, you dont keep iPhone with data plan, or $100/month cable, you sell one of your vehicle and pay insurance for only 1 vehicle or perhaps just use public transport, you do not eat out ...there are many things that you need to do but family CAN survive in 3200/3300...
Re: Underemployed versus unemployed
The real welfare kings and queens are the wall street barons. Goldman Sachs et al got 100 cents to the dollar on the bets they made with AIG the insurer being bailed out by govt. Govt could have played hardball with Goldman et al but chose not to. AIG folks got their full salary and bonus. List goes on. Geitner who was the NY head of some division that allowed all this got hired as treasury secreary. Ceo pay as multiple of Median pay at all time high. Benefits are being cut left and right. And who do we pick on - the schmuck at the bottom.