Pawel was a computer technician responsible for equipment repairs and network maintenance. Overnight the firm reduced the workforce by 30 positions. He’s been looking for a job for almost five months.
He has figured out that there are many like him in the job market. As a 50 year old, with poor English skills and a non-American education, he has no illusions. After several month with no results he is taking a commercial driving course. He sought counseling for depression caused by feelings of futility over ever finding a job again.
Mariola (not her real name), a 38 year old who lost her job with a Manhattan firm in April, has a slightly more optimistic outlook. The firm laid off 80 out of 300 people, among them many “veterans.”
She sends out several resumes a day, made her resume accessible on every employment site on the internet and utilizes her personal contacts. She remains convinced that sooner or later she’ll find a new position. However, two months have passed and she has not been asked for one interview.
Work is scarce in the United States. The macro-economic trends clearly indicate a deteriorating market. Week after week, the number of new unemployment benefit applications crosses 400,000.
This number is considered the border between increasing and decreasing job markets.
In May, unemployment rose to 6.1%, the highest in the United States since 1994. It is worse in the New York region: in New York City, unemployment has been over 8% for a long time. New Jersey remains within the average national levels. Nationally, the number of persons considered unemployed, according to government statistics, is currently about 8.8 million. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, another 1.4 million persons over the last several months have given up an active job search.
Despite some improvement in economic indicators in manufacturing and services, the employers in both of these sectors continue to lay off their workforce. According to Manpower Inc., an employment agency, 83% of polled companies plan either to reduce employment or maintain current levels in the second quarter of this year.
In the first quarter of 2003 the average job search period lengthened to 4.2 months, which is the longest in 17 years, according to the research of Challenger Gray and Christmas, a national employment agency. Last year, during the first trimester of 2002, the average job search period was 3.4 months.
The situation of job seekers over the age of 50 is worse yet – for this group, the job search period takes an average of 4.6 months. This means that among those over fifty, half will find themselves even longer without work, often resulting in the exhaustion of unemployment benefits. Fortunately, the Congress has recently once again increased the benefit claim period by 13 weeks.
What is the situation in the Polish job market?
Compared to the overall market, it’s not too bad. Among jobs typically performed by Poles, including the illegal ones, employment can still be found. One only needs to take a look in the classified section in ethnic newspapers. Their numbers remain virtually the same.
Truth be told the jobs are not well compensated and provide no benefits. The majority of job offers are for simple positions, requiring only a phone call and sufficient English to communicate with the contractor, or the lady of the house seeking a sitter or a housekeeper. There are very few postings that require a resume.
Interviews with headhunters and Polish job seekers clearly show that the most difficult positions to obtain are those closest to the “normal” job market. The hurdles begin when one seeks a job outside of ethnic companies, with basic benefits such as health insurance and a 401(k).
For anyone not seeking benefits the sky is the limit. Jarek, a doctor from Poland, who has just begun the arduous process of diploma verification, has no difficulties finding work. He provides care for elderly people in order to attend school and learn English without giving up his student visa. His earnings need to be considerable, as he must support his family in Poland. He has so many offers that he can pick and choose. He recently quit a position in New Jersey in order to find another in Manhattan closer to school.
“Not much has changed since last year,” says Zbigniew Semczyk of the Polish Home Service agency. “In general, things are the same in the job market that we deal with. Only the larger institutions, such as hospitals, factories and offices, require work papers for new hires.”
Among women, the most popular work is called “places”, which means cleaning ($6 to $7 per hour, in Manhattan $10 and up) and babysitting. The compensation in the Polish job market, despite the modest but constant inflation, has remained stagnant for years.
Construction jobs are also easy to come by, as the real estate market is booming.
“As long as you can hold a hammer in hand, you can get work, with or without papers,” assures Semczyk. However, all head hunters agree that legal immigrants seeking jobs that pay above $10 per hour with benefits are having a hard time.
Pawel Gasior of the Forum agency in Greenpoint has a less optimistic outlook. He maintains that it’s increasingly difficult to place anyone without papers. All potential employers require the basic documents, at least a social security card.
“We are placing fewer people, mostly due to lack of interest in the available jobs,” Gasior says. “However, there is a job out there for everyone.” There is still a high demand for skilled construction laborers and for women willing to clean houses.
A new phenomenon for the Polish metropolitan communities is the influx of students seeking summer jobs. Zbigniew Semczyk and Pawel Gasior confirm this occurrence. These are students from Poland using a work and travel program.
The cost of obtaining a new job also remains unchanged. Greenpoint employment agencies typically retain one week’s salary.
Fortunately the dishonest agencies are disappearing. Only a few years ago there was a plethora of head hunters and agencies, who had liaisons with contractors who terminated employees immediately following the guaranteed work period. This caused the employee to pay agencies several times for “new” positions.
Zenobia Krupinski, who runs the White Glove agency in Clifton, N.J., sees no lack of interest among prospective employers as well as job seekers. “My business is ever-growing,” she says. Her firm most often receives requests from the baby boomer generation, who are seeking home care providers for their increasingly feeble parents.
They request Polish ladies, who enjoy a reputation for exhibiting a genuine care and concern for others. Ms. Krupinski only places women who have papers and she charges only the employers. “Off the books” type jobs are not even considered anymore as her clients are very cautious about these issues. “Employers are well aware as to which documents are required. Also, for many it pays off to pay taxes for their employees,” she says. The owner of the White Glove agency also admits that the labor market crisis has not affected her marked segment, which is dominated by new immigrants. “The most qualified people are having the toughest time,” she adds.
The Problems of Professionals
Computer programmer Piotr Zielczynski echoes this sentiment. Poles have always enjoyed a good reputation as specialists in the computer industry. Now they are going through a difficult period. Since December 2000 the industry entered a crisis. Recently, he had to accept a 20% pay cut. The alternative was to resign. Other companies are experiencing similar situations. “In many instances, the reductions are 10 to15%,” Zielczynski says and, “That’s not that bad.” Programmers have had to take even greater paycuts. “I know a person who makes half of what they used to working the same job.” Piotr also tells a story about meeting programmers who are now pumping gas at a gas station. “They are highly specialized, yet unable to find work for a year despite 20 years of experience,” he adds.
Until recently, Zileczynski busied himself with head-hunting computer specialists in Poland and bringing them into the United States using the H-1 visa. The market could absorb any number of specialists. He doesn’t do that anymore. His firm, International Object Technology, was sold. Since the market collapse, the chances of newly arriving computer specialists from Poland finding jobs diminished considerably. This concerns Poles though the greatest wave of computer specialists arrived from India. “Today, there are 20 applicants for each available position. As such, persons with limited experience in the United States, are automatically pushed to the end of the line.”
Economists are predicting a slow improvement in the labor market in the second half of the year, providing that no political-economic disaster occurs.
This article was written as part of the Ethnic Press Fellowship of the Independent Press Association-New York.
