Checking In On the Long-Term Unemployed

The Takeaway

As Washington battles it out over the deficit and the August 2 deadline to raise the debt ceiling, there is another important economic discussion happening across the country.  Last week, the unemployment rate reached 9.2 percent, and by the end of this year money for many jobless benefits will disappear.  As lawmakers haggle over the debt ceiling in Washington, are they failing to address the jobs crisis? Throughout the week we’ve been asking listeners and past guests how unemployment effects them and their current situation.
Cynthia Norton has recently found work as a medical assistant in California. She was on our show in May of last year, after she had been unemployed for two years. Norton says it’s a hard battle for unemployed workers over 50, who face a very competitive and younger workforce.

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