30 million Americans filed for unemployment in the last six weeks, as the pandemic ground the U. S. economy to a halt. Scott Pelley met a few of the many who are trying to get back on their feet.
As May begins, millions of Americans delete another month of calendar events for the job they never expected to lose. They made plans; graduates entering the hottest economy in a generation, entrepreneurs with their dream in sight and workplace veterans tuning their retirement. Thirty million Americans have filed for unemployment in six weeks. The people you’re about to meet signed up last month for a Philadelphia online job fair. It was just four hours of local businesses with open positions but 1,300 people waited in chat rooms for a chance. They wonder how fast the economy should open and find themselves in a strange place, with hours on their hands and time running out.
Courtney Clifton: I actually got the information off of the news.
Courtney Clifton logged on and applied for work in a call center, a long drop from the catering company she built on a dream.
Courtney Clifton: Amuse Bouche Cuisine was started in about 2015, right after I graduated culinary school. We started out doing small parties and doing the traditional catering events. Our client list has grown exponentially.
Scott Pelley: And since COVID-19?
Courtney Clifton: Whew. All of a sudden, my clients were calling and emailing. «We have to cancel. We have to postpone.» We started losing events (SNAPS FINGERS) like that.
Scott Pelley: And what happened to your business?
Courtney Clifton: We went from six employees to two. And now we have none.
Her husband is still working in home health care. Courtney applied for a government emergency loan, but that hasn’t come through. The largest bailout in history has lurched forward. The small business administration’s paycheck protection bailout was partly cleaned out by big business. Government websites have been overwhelmed.
Courtney Clifton: The last time I checked, it was in red at the top of the page. And it said, «We are unable to offer any information at this time. Please check back later.»
Scott Pelley: But there is no later for your employees.
Courtney Clifton: Unfortunately, not. I had tears in my eyes when I had to tell my right-hand woman, who is also a family member, that her only source of income— I— there was nothing that I could do.
Scott Pelley: Have you been able to get unemployment?
Courtney Clifton: I have applied. But I haven’t received a response yet.
State unemployment offices are jammed. Nationwide, in March, only 14% of new applicants had received their first check, according to the public policy research group, the Century Foundation.
Scott Pelley: What about your stimulus check? You should have $1,200 coming from the government.
Courtney Clifton: Yeah, that’s something that I was definitely looking forward to. And my husband actually has an app that allows you to see your mail that’s coming to you. So, I’ve seen a picture of the envelope that has the check. But I actually haven’t received it yet in the mail.
Scott Pelley: How long before you’re broke?
Courtney Clifton: Now.
Tim Yabor also heard about last month’s job fair on the news.
Tim Yabor: My boss said, «Do you have a couple minutes to talk on Zoom?» And that’s when it happened.
In those ‘couple of minutes on Zoom,’ Yabor, 55, was laid off after decades in sales for hotels and, then, a convention center.
Scott Pelley: When was the last time you were unemployed?
Tim Yabor: I was never unemployed. This is the first time.
Yabor’s wife still has a job in insurance. And she’s working from home.
Scott Pelley: What keeps you up at night?
Tim Yabor: That my kids will ask me for money that, before, I would just give them money. I worry that we can make our mortgage, that we can have food.
