Many fear they'll be next as unemployment climbs

A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours.

That's an adage more and more workers are learning first hand as the nation slides into its worst economic downturn in 26 years.

The government yesterday reported that 485,000 people were out of work last month -- 43,000 more than the month before.

Of that amount, 17,000 lost their jobs because of the poor economy, and many more fear that they could be next to receive a pink slip.

"At one stage I was depressed because of high-profile reports of the unemployment problem on TV," Huang Li-chu (黃麗珠), 30, said yesterday.

After giving birth last year, Huang was unable to resume her work as a waitress.

Although she landed a job at a restaurant, she overheard her boss talking on the phone one day saying, "Business is bad."

A few days later she was laid off. Now she stands outside a branch of Starbucks in Taipei, distributing flyers.

The sluggish economic growth responsible for the nation's increasing unemployment still haunts her, although she now has a part-time job.

"Companies paying for the flyer distribution, which can't avoid being affected when the economy is declining, blame us for not working hard enough to attract business," Huang said.

"Opportunities to work at home for mothers who have to take care of children have declined drastically."

Tom Lai (賴欽昇), 35, who works full-time in a convenience store, is also keenly aware of the threat of unemployment and the difficulty of finding work. But, calmly resigned to the possibility of joblessness, he is planning ahead.

"One must understand how long it may take to find the next job and how to plan ahead for it," Lai said. "I don't panic because I have confidence in my ability."

Lai has experience as a project designer for a department store, a volunteer and travel agent. He plans to become a franchisee for the chain store which currently employs him.

Ku Shang-yung (古省洋), 54, doesn't worry much, either. The company that hired him to control traffic in a parking lot has promised that he could keep the job until he reaches the age of 65, as long as he performs satisfactorily.

"It doesn't help to worry," said Ku, who was laid off in a downsizing two years ago by an electronics company after 24 years of service.

Still, Ku said he tries his best to save money to cope with the slow economic growth.

"My family no longer buys drinks. One can quench a thirst with plain water," he said. "Sometimes I have only two meals a day."

He has also told his two sons, who spend heavily on computer games, to "learn how to make money before spending it."

Su Chia-hua (蘇佳華), 22, graduated from a vocational school last year before starting work in a bank. She attends classes on the weekend to polish her skills.

"It's to guarantee that the company won't kick me out when laying people off," Su said.

She also wants to save money in case she unexpectedly loses her job. "I only go window shopping, rather than actually buying anything," Su said.

Hsu Hui-wen (許惠文), 18, has two years of vocational high school to finish. She works part-time in a restaurant.

"I'm responsible for every tedious thing in the store but can't learn much here," she said. "I have no choice because job opportunities are limited."

Hsu's also worried about the competition. "I've seen 10 people come to this store for interviews in one day. There are too many competitors for jobs."