8 Tips to Help You Deal With Unemployment

When COVID-19 hit, several businesses and companies shut down and employees were laid off, leading to an unprecedented rise in the unemployment rate and job losses in the country. According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), there were about 420,000 Filipinos who lost their bread and butter due to the pandemic's paralyzing effects on the workforce.

By January 2021, the unemployment rate nearly doubled from 2.4 million jobless Pinoys to a whopping 4 million, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Fast forward to two years after the virus outbreak wreaked havoc, unemployment rate has decreased to 5.2 percent as of July 2022 from 7.2 percent in the same month of the year 2021. Employment recovery is huge thanks to COVID-19 cases significantly dwindling as a result of people complying with the government's vaccination program, making up to more than 70 million fully-vaccinated Pinoys, a matter of fact that further signals hopes of recovery for businesses and hence their collective reopening and launching after two years.

Be that as it may, a fairly impressive decrease in the country's unemployment rate cannot erase the fact that there are still 2.6 million jobless Filipinos as of July 2022, according to the Labor Force Survey from PSA, a significant number that must not be taken for granted.

Unemployment is a major economic issue

Aside from being a personal matter among Pinoys, unemployment is also an economic issue, and a major one for developing countries such as the Philippines. Making the necessary measures to alleviate, if not eliminate, unemployment on the national scale is a massive pursuit to attain significant poverty reduction, and a more efficient labor market helps in the acquisition of this domestic goal. This is the national government's challenge and tough job to overcome.

To echo and paraphrase Arsenio M. Balisacan's words, Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the creation of jobs, especially quality jobs, is a necessary step for the country in achieving economic transformation and poverty mitigation.

If you're one of the 2.6 million who are unemployed, we know how joblessness could impact mental and emotional health. We are here to help currently unemployed Filipinos find coping mechanisms after losing their job, as well as for people finding it hard to gain employment in the post-pandemic setting.

At the end of this article, we have job vacancies for interested applicants as our way to help our fellow kababayans rebuild their careers after being unemployed indefinitely.

8 Tips to Help you cope with unemployment

For the ordinary Filipino citizen, unemployment gives birth to a series of questions in the mind that robs them of the peace that they have tried years and years to protect: what will happen to us now? How can I finance my mother's maintenance medicines, and the monthly electricity and internet bill? What if I get hospitalized and don't have my health insurance anymore? How am I and my family going to survive without my job?

These questions are not made up, but painfully real for many jobless Filipinos, especially during the early stages of the pandemic, when everything is uncertain and there was no authorized vaccine yet to put a stop to these economic uncertainties. Below, we listed eight tips to cope with the pain and anxiety of unemployment.

1. No matter how crushing, face the pain of job loss.

Cry, even. Job loss and unemployment must not be trivialized as something not worthy to cry your heart out for. Because for people like you who actually experience it, it could be demoralizing, traumatic, and emotionally overwhelming. But that does not mean it's best to avoid confronting the situation. Facing it is another way and an integral part of overcoming it. Acknowledge its effects on you, your family, and your current financial standing.

2. Listen to inspirational songs, then watch funny cat videos.

Exhaust all means of encouraging yourself that will prevent you from thinking ideations that will lead you to depression. Listen to inspirational songs, such as With A Smile by Eraserheads, watch a movie such as the Pursuit of Happyness (yes, that's deliberately misspelled), then mix them with watching funny cats and dogs, smiling babies being the exceptionally adorable little creatures that they are, and fall in love with life again despite these challenges. This is just one of those obstacles, and you are bound to overcome them.

3. Join a jobseekers' group online.

Whether dealing with a recent job loss or applying for a new job as a fresh college graduate, joining a jobseekers' group is immensely helpful and will expose you to like-minded people seeking jobs and dreaming to be in a better economic position. Every once in a while, you'll encounter stories shared by members of the group that will talk about dealing with job loss, rejections, as well as stories about grappling with unjust labor practices and low compensation. You will relate to them, and in the process learn how to cope, as advised by the people who experienced the same predicament as yours. What is more, joining online groups will give you job leads, what companies to avoid, and legitimate sites to try when applying for jobs.

4. Maximize your talents and upskill.

After grieving a job loss and remaining steadfast despite it, it's time to move forward and do something for self-improvement. And this is by sharpening your intellect and learning some new skills relevant to your industry. Better yet, you might want to learn some completely different skills, especially if it is very in demand and lucrative. In the end, though, choose what you think will give you a sense of fulfillment, and is best for your personal, intellectual, and professional growth.

5. Prepare yourself for your next steps.

Your next best move is to prepare for job interviews, update your resume, and create a good cover letter where you highlight your skills, your work experience, and who you are as a person besides perfuming your professional profile. You have undergone through this before, but it may be quite some time, so it's wise to take some practice and hone your communication skills to ace a job interview and impress a hiring manager. Perhaps the best piece of advice when applying for jobs, no matter how cliche, is to be the best version of yourself.

6. Once you're all set, apply for jobs again.

No need to hurry in your quest for an equally stressful job search. Until you find yourself ready and raring for work again, apply for new jobs in the plural form. This is because applying for more than one job post gives you a variety of choices and chances. But don't mass-apply either. Apply only to jobs you find interesting, suitable for your skills, and with adequate compensation. There are a multitude of companies hiring, and claim it that one of the job posts that you've applied for is reserved for you. The law of attraction, if combined with a passion to succeed, definitely works.

7. Freelancing may be good for your current situation.

The pandemic exposed that the physical office is needless for certain types of jobs. Hence, workers were made to work remotely, and many have actually retained their jobs in the same setup, despite the greenlighting of the government that a full-blown return to the office is already permissible. With all this being said, freelancing may be the job for you after your last work, where you can apply for jobs that don't need to be done in the office but in the comfort of your humble home with your family. If you're comfortable with this setup, more reason to contemplate a long-lasting freelancing career.

8. Prioritize your mental health.

Some people show a facade of mental fortitude where they put on a smile despite feeling otherwise inside. As mentioned in the first tip, accept and face your fears, cry your heart out, and consult with a mental health professional if it already feels overwhelming to face it alone. Having someone to talk to who will really listen and empathize makes a big difference. You got this! And while there is zero guarantee that you will not experience this kind of situation again, take comfort in the thought that you will conquer all these with your resilience.

We are hiring: Rebuild your career with Lumina Homes

With over 10 years of providing quality yet affordable house and lot for sale among Filipino families, Lumina Homes has also employed thousands of job seekers through the years, with over 30,000 sales agents and brokers, excluding other types of employees. Work with us and help fellow Filipinos find a trusted housing developer that offers an affordable house and lot.

Some of our job vacancies include, but not limited to, the following: marketing assistant, accounting assistant, HR assistant, site engineer, architect, digital sales associate, content writer, video animator, graphic designer, and full stack developer, among others. We're excited to have you in our company to deliver the news of an award-winning real estate investment brand providing quality house and lot in the Philippines!

For the complete list of Lumina careers and job opportunities, click this link: Build your career with Lumina Homes