Who gets unemployment?

[SoCalDem]

I have been fortunate to have never had to get it, nor has anyone I know well..

If you are part time, do you get it?
Self employed/contract worker?

More and more people fall into those categories, and without a fulltime employer, are they even eligible?

[whistle]

1. Never in 45 years of working with brief periods between job changes have I

...collected unemployment insurance. But I certainly would not hesitate to apply for unemployment if I were laid off now because I know that there would be little chance that anyone would hire someone my age full time.

[JDPriestly]

2. I have taken it three times over a working life of 51 years.

It does not last long. It does not pay much. It really isn't that much help.

[W_HAMILTON]

3. You can get partial unemployment.

So, yes, you can still work somewhat and still receive unemployment benefits. After a certain point, earnings for the week cut into your weekly unemployment check.

[jaksavage]

4. I am the socialist in the family

and I never could or did take unemployment.
My bro in law, the nicest repuke you will ever meet,
sold his biz for big bucks, had a fat salary for consulting for 2 years after the sale... they didn't like him after 14 months and so laid him off... you guessed it, unemployment.
I still am stunned by it.

[kirby]

5. I have heard it gets abused...

I have heard you gets 26 weeks of unemployment (which I think Congress keeps extending) so in some areas it is an additional 20 weeks. I have heard that people have to make very 'token' efforts at getting a job such as sending out two resumes each week. I have heard the system is broken because if a person does not find a job similar to what they lost, they can stay on unemployment rather than get retrained.

Of course this is all based on what I have heard. Being self employed I am not eligible for unemployment. If I lose my job, tough cookies. Some self-employed business have to pay info the unemployment fund even though they cannot collect it.