NELP to Release First of its Kind Natl Survey of the Unemployed: Job Search, Family Life Challenging During Current Economic Crunch

5/5/2003

From: Jason Dring of the National Employment Law Project, 202-518-8047

News Advisory:

As the debate over the jobs crisis and what to do about it heats up in Washington, the National Employment Law Project (NELP) will release a first of its kind national survey of unemployed workers later this week. Currently, nearly two million workers-the highest figure in 10 years-are unemployed and have been searching for work for six months or more. This survey is the first to capture the pulse of what it means to be unemployed during the current recession and depicts the critical importance of their jobless benefits.

The data paints a bleak picture of the job market. According to the survey, 83 percent of the unemployed say finding a job is more difficult now than any time in the past and 60 percent believe that they will be forced take a job that pays substantially less than their previous position. Moreover, the survey shows that unemployment has had a serious impact on family life. For example, more than two-thirds of the workers interviewed say that they have cut back on spending for their children.

The complete survey results will be released at a press conference on Wednesday in Washington, DC. In addition to a brief presentation of the survey's findings, several unemployed workers will be available to tell their stories of job search and family hardship.

WHO: -- Maurice Emsellem-Policy Director, National Employment Law Project -- Guy Molyneux-Senior Vice President, -- Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc Unemployed Workers

WHAT: Press Briefing

WHEN: Wednesday, May 7 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: John Peter Zenger Room, National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW Washington, DC

------ The National Employment Law Project is a non-profit policy and legal organization based in New York City. NELP has advocated on behalf of low-wage and unemployed workers for over 30 years, and is particularly concerned with assisting these workers in overcoming barriers to employment and government systems of support.