Too many unemployed Filipino Americans

CALIFORNIA, United States—The unemployment rate in the United States rose to 10.2 percent last month, the highest recorded since April 2003. There are now 15.7 million unemployed based on a US Department of Labor report.

Filipino Americans are not spared from this unemployment crisis. They find themselves dependent on an unemployment insurance and other government assistance until they find a job.

No-work insurance

Each state has its own law in providing for unemployment insurance. In California, the Employment Development Department is the government agency that handles the claims for unemployment insurance benefits.

This insurance program is applicable to workers, including lawful permanent residents, who lose their job through no fault of their own. To be eligible, they have to be available, ready, and willing to accept work any time.

The minimum weekly unemployment insurance check is $70 and the maximum fee is $450.

Many Filipinos avail themselves of this program, but this unemployment benefit lasts only for one year. It is expected that after a year, the unemployed beneficiary of this program would be fully employed. But this is not always the case. A significant number is still unemployed after a year, despite diligent efforts to look for a job.

Stimulus funds

For those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and are still unemployed, the US Congress has passed legislation extending their benefits to another 14 weeks. This legislation was enacted this month.

The Obama administration has also authorized $787 billion as a stimulus fund in February 2009 to support the creation of jobs in different industries, among other purposes.

San Francisco has utilized this federal fund to assist its unemployed residents. There is a “Jobs Now!” program which aims to get jobs for its 1,000 participants between May 2009 and September 2010. Run by the San Francisco Human Services Agency, this is available only to low-income families, more specifically, for parents who have at least one minor child. It does not only place jobs to eligible unemployed individuals, but also benefits local employers by subsidizing 100 percent of workers’ wages until September 30, 2010.

There are other US cities with similar programs using federal stimulus funds. We do not know the number of Filipinos who are eligible to participate in these.

Availability of information

Finding resources to assist a Filipino immigrant in the US may be a challenging task. There is very limited available information on the issue of employment resources. Watching the national news on mainstream TV channels or being updated by printed news dailies may be the only way to obtain much needed information on resources.

In the past weeks, especially with the recent Pacquiao victory in Las Vegas, for most Filipinos in the US, the more exciting news is his alleged illicit love affair with a young Filipino actress.

Residents who lost their jobs and found themselves as stay-at-home parents easily get hooked to the daily Filipino soap operas shown on cable Filipino channels.

When US Congress last week extended the 12-month unemployment insurance benefits, how many of the affected Filipinos were aware of this extension?

As a vulnerable unemployed population increases and with a lack of culturally specific outreach programs to the Filipinos, the number of scam victims also arises. There are offers for assistance in filling up unemployment benefits online that are not authorized by the government agency. Many unemployed get ripped off by some unscrupulous scammers.

Undocumented immigrant

The unemployed undocumented can’t avail of government benefits. While they may have paid taxes and contributed through their wages to the unemployment insurance program, the undocumented are excluded because of their status.

They are instead dependent on the support of relatives. They may consider returning to the Philippines, though this option is not usually chosen for economic reasons.

Interestingly, there is reverse foreign remittance to the US from the Philippines by their relatives or friends who are willing to assist them. This may not be a common occurrence but we have seen this happen to an increasing number of unemployed Filipinos.

As Filipinos are known for their resiliency in times of crisis, the difficulties of this unemployment situation in the US remain a big challenge.

No one really knows what to expect in the coming months. What persists is our formidable faith and hope that the economic situation will soon get better. Tancinco may be reached at law@tancinco.com or at 887 7177. –Lourdes Santos Tancinco, Philippine Daily Inquirer