It’s a tale of two economies in one city.
The offices are full at high tech companies in Silicon Valley.
But they’re also full at unemployment centers just a couple miles away. San Jose’s Work2Future program released preliminary findings of research it commissioned.
The program found the unemployment rate, coupled with what’s called the “underemployment rate” ranges betweens 25 and 38 percent.
“Underemployment , we define in a way that you have a job, part time, or carrying multiple jobs, ” said B.J. Sims of the Work2Future program, which provides job readiness workshops in San Jose.
In one classroom, Karen Heaton has spent the last couple years trying to find a job.
“It’s been very frustrating, and I’d been trying to keep a lid on being scared because it makes me paralyzed," Heaton saod.
Her classmate is Natalie Plascencia, who pieces together a salary by catering and other odd jobs.
“Its been unsteady work. Right now I’m very much multi-tasking by not working for working for one employer, networking and finding other sources of income,” Plascencia said.
The “underemployed” are also those who are overqualified for a job, but take it anyway for the money.
They are also people who might be working the same job as before but at less pay.
Work2Future says it will use the results of its research to develop strategies on how it can help fill the gaps of the underemployed. The agency should release its full findings within a couple weeks.
