For college students, it has always been difficult to find a job after our studies are complete. With the current state of the world and the ongoing pandemic, it has become even more difficult. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals from ages 20 to 24 have the second highest unemployment rate in the month of December during the pandemic, second only to individuals 18 to 19.
Out of all the people who found themselves unemployed during the pandemic, I was one of them. Before the pandemic, I was working steady at a Japanese Hibachi Restaurant as a server, going to school and living a normal life just like everyone else. Then the pandemic began, and it became more and more difficult to know how I was going to pay my bills. Luckily, most companies were understanding and were able to delay most of the payments. However, as the months went by it became more and more difficult to hold off making payments. The next step that I took was to apply for unemployment with the State of Florida.
This became a problem in itself, the website was being bombarded by all the other people who were experiencing the same issues. At first, once I was able to access the website it would crash as soon as I would get something done. This was a problem I experienced for weeks. Then the media began to report how the website was not prepared for all the people logging on at the same time. Once the website was fixed, it became easier to claim unemployment and begin to make payments once again. Every two weeks, I had to access the website to claim the benefits. This was something I had to be on top of to ensure that I filled out everything correctly.
Luckily after only three months, I was able to return to work and no longer need the benefits. However, many people that experience the same that I was experiencing are still having trouble. Now almost a year since the beginning of the pandemic people are still experiencing unemployment. State and federal governments are still having trouble coming up with ways to supplement people's wages during these difficult times.
The pandemic has opened peoples eyes to how unemployment works and how the government can deal with supporting americans. Kathryn A. Edwards from the Rand Corporation wrote a great blog that goes more in depth about how unemployment insurance is helping and hindering our economy. You can check out her article with the link below.
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