By Michael Strickland

Good GDP, Still No Jobs The best economic news in a very long time burst across the airwaves today, as GDP numbers for the third quarter of 2003 came out. During that period—encompassing July, August and September—the gross domestic product leapt by over seven percent, the largest such one-quarter gain since the early 1980s. Experts and commentators across the board heralded the news as a strong sign that we're almost out of the woods. So why am I so skeptical? Because in that same quarter, the economy continued to hemorrhage jobs. Despite such a strong surge in the GDP, more jobs were lost than were created. And that's what has made the past two years so difficult for so many people, and why the economy has taken so long to recover. Companies just aren't hiring. Jobs aren't being created. People can't find work. I'm no economic expert, but I have two years of firsthand "experience" to back up my contentions. I've gone through some dry spells since graduating from college, but never have I sent out even a fraction of the countless resumes I've shotgunned since Disney laid me off in 2001. I can no longer keep track of the number of jobs for which I was eminently qualified, yet whose HR representatives never once contacted me. I know the competition out there is fierce, and I'm realistic about what the employment field is like these days. Even a form letter or postcard acknowledging receipt of my resume is a rarity. Long gone, dead, buried and forgotten are the days when there was even the slightest trace of personal touch in the hiring process. It's now a rarefied, fine-tuned, slick machine run largely by robots. Yet I still can't help but feel bitter. I know my abilities, I'm aware of how much I can contribute to a company's operations, I'm eager to once again exercise my full potential. I'm not the world's best employee; there are certainly more experienced people out there. But I do have a lot of talent to offer—all I need is the chance. My chief consolation is that many unfortunate people share the same challenges. It's tough out there right now, it's been hard over the past two years, but hopefully things will turn around soon. In the meantime, if you're hiring, check out my resume.   ©2003 Michael Strickland ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

What is "The Daily Strick"? I have long called myself a writer, but too often I don't do what a writer must do daily: write. So you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of my resolution to make a positive change in at least one area of my life. Every single day of this new year (almost), I will write something, anything, and post it here. It is my intention to use this daily exercise to jump-start my too-long-dormant creative energies, and perhaps generate some worthwhile material this year. Hopefully you will find at least an occasional amusement or insight in my daily musings. Send a Comment October Columns: 10/31: Halloween's History 10/30: Good GDP, Still No Jobs 10/29: Disaster 10/27: Ash Monday 10/26: En Fuego 10/25: Diving in the Desert 10/24: Dead Car Canyon 10/23: Reflections 10/21: Le Métro 10/20: Pain 10/17: Jury Duty 10/15: Labor Pains 10/14: The Business of Losing 10/13: Owls and Jobs 10/12: Hooked 10/11: The "S" in SUV 10/9: Flee the City 10/8: Sore Losers 10/5: Turkeys 10/4: It's Not the Economy, Stupid 10/2: Focus 10/1: Twenty Years Previous months in The Archive Like what you've read? Find more good reading on (and support future Daily Stricks!)