Sociologists say you can measure the health of an economy by the birth rate of a nation. After the Second World War, when things looked great for America, we had the baby boom. Now we are having less babies. In 2009, the birth rate in the United States dropped to 13.5 births for every 1,000 people. The reason? It seems clear that when we are unsure about the economy, our jobs or simply have less money in our savings back so we are more likely to wait for better times before having children. But what happens if you do get pregnant? Many of our readers have expressed their concern about the consequences of getting pregnant while unemployed. Questions range from, is it considered fraud to claim unemployment while pregnant? To, What happens if I quit my job because I have a baby? Am I still eligible for unemployment?

Before we answer those questions let’s start with a simple explanation of when you can apply for unemployment benefits in Washington. Surprisingly we can do that in one sentence.

You are eligible to your quota of unemployment benefits If you are unemployed out of no fault of your own and both can and want to work .

That sounds simple enough, but as they say, the devil is always in the details. The first key point is, no fault of your own. If you quit a job out of your own free will, you are generally not entitled to employment benefits. This is an important point when considering what to do if you get pregnant while working with a company. Do not quit, unless you have the savings to maintain yourself or are very confident you can easily find another job.

The second important point of our general description of unemployment eligibility is if you can work. This answers a recent question from one of our readers. The reader asked if it would be considered fraudulent to continue claiming benefits after getting pregnant and to continue doing so until she gave birth. The answer hangs on if she can work during the pregnancy. As long as you are available for work you can continue claiming your weekly benefits. The week you deliver your baby and any other week your doctor determines you are not fit for work you are not eligible for unemployment. Simply do not claim for benefits those weeks and you will not be committing fraud.

The final point that determines your eligibility for unemployment benefits during a pregnancy is if you want to work. Many people do not know that the unemployment rate we so often hear reported in newspapers and on the news does not reflect everyone without a job, only those who are unemployed and are actively looking for a job. While you receive unemployment benefits you have the responsibility of looking for work and accepting any reasonable source of employment you are offered. If you are not even considering working during your pregnancy, you would, strictly speaking, not qualify for benefits. Obviously, this is very difficult to enforce. Nobody can read your mind, and as long as you claim for benefits, go to any interviews set up by the employment office and have good reasons for not accepting a job you will receive your weekly check until your yearly quota of benefits expires.

Short-term work not an option for the laid-off

the 99ers — laid-off folks who have gone 99 weeks without finding perform, at which point their jobless compensation expire. Much more than 1.4 million People in america have already been out of work for at least that long — victims of an economy that has not been creating many work opportunities.
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Sean Kelly

Lawmakers are debating regardless of whether to extend unemployment benefits, subsidize a lot more work training or approve large public works projects like the ones on the Good Depression. But as the political issues are debated, numerous men and women have seen their already-minimal compensation disappear, and others will probably hit the 99-week barrier soon. What could they do?

The economic and psychological effects of long-term joblessness could be devastating — producing it that much more difficult to locate a job. About.com, which is owned by The New York Times Company, has collected much more than 2,000 firsthand stories from people that have already been unable to come across work.

They speak of feeling depressed and humiliated, of feeling that they’re considered “lazy” by those who’ve work opportunities. Some describe losing their real estate and being forced to move in with family members members. They write of their savings running out, making use of up retirement cash, promoting their belongings and waiting for their cellphone service to become cut off or their cars to be repossessed.

There comes a time when sheer survival trumps job aspirations, and facing that may be challenging. Occasionally you could pay your bills whilst adding a couple of lines to your résumé, but at additional times that simply isn’t possible.

The trick to facing long-term unemployment would be to “find the intersection among your highest-paying skill and market demand,” claimed Nancy Collamer, founder with the Layoff Survival Guide, a Web web site.

One solution to do that is to offer your solutions on a temporary basis, Ms. Collamer claimed. If you are an out-of-work lawyer, for example, offer you to perform research or title searches.

Investigate with temp agencies or talk to buddies who very own companies and ask if they have project-oriented work obtainable, Ms. Collamer stated. Send out an e-mail blast on a social networking web site, saying you are accessible to assist with specific providers, she advised.

Do not appear desperate or mention your personal financial situation when seeking temporary perform, she stated: “It’s all about selling a value proposition.”

Carry a look at the requirements of your community. Those may possibly include products like dog walking, child care, house sitting or driving men and women to their appointments.

Some jobless people are thinking as well narrowly, claimed Ford R. Myers, a career coach, author and us president of Occupation Potential in Philadelphia.

“They’re looking at work opportunities that only match up with the job they had ahead of,” Mr. Myers observed. But even inside greatest of times, he said, this is not how the perform world operates.

He endorses a “bridge career strategy — it’s a strategy to tide yourself over until you could land back on your feet at an appropriate level.”

Like Ms. Collamer, he suggests exploring temporary work, along with home-based and part-time jobs. Consider administrative assistance function, or some kind of manual labor, he said. “It’s not fantastic dollars,” he said, “but it keeps you busy and it pays some bills and it carries you more than.”

In case you were previously a bank executive and happen to personal a van, you don’t tend to believe, “Maybe I’ll do some moving and hauling,” but that may possibly be a short-term solution, he said.

That it is critical to set up “a mental separation in between the actual career as well as the bridge career,” Mr. Myers said. “We need to get rid of this sense of false pride,” he observed, adding that it is no time to say, “I’m not going to take a job like that — I’m an executive.”

During a long-term employment search, Ms. Collamer claimed, make certain that you receive emotional assistance and preserve social connections. She endorses joining a job assist group, but “you do not want to be joining a pity party; it is got for being a proactive group.” Volunteering could also hold you outside your own head — and could lead to employment opportunities.

GUARD against self-defeating thoughts, stated Alison Doyle, a work search specialist for About.com. Remember that mainly because of the economy, several capable and qualified folks are unable to get careers right now, even though they are doing all the correct things, she said.

And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Should your unemployment benefits have run out, additional govt or community programs could be capable of present help, particularly in case you have kids, she claimed.

“You may feel as well proud to take help,” Ms. Doyle claimed, “but if there is help out there you need to carry it” — no matter whether from federal government or community programs, family members or friends.

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