Prayer for employment security

BY SUSANNE SONKE

With unemployment now reaching a high of 10 percent in the United States, and spreading worldwide, almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by downsizing, layoffs, terminations, furloughs, foreclosure, or bankruptcy. One encouraging voice in the midst of this economic challenge comes from business leader, Steve Korman, of Korman Communities, a privately owned hotel, residential, and commercial real estate firm.

Korman has challenged other CEOs to stop the "herd mentality" of mass layoffs and instead forgo some short-term profits and stock value in order to keep people working. Mr. Korman says, "We really are our brother's keeper" (The Christian Science Monitor, May 3, 2009).

While financial institutions, governments, and various businesses are stepping up efforts to create and/or maintain jobs, bolster large companies, stimulate the economy, and protect homeowners, these glimmers of light appear to be overshadowed by a continued downward trend in the job market. The Bureau of Labor Stastics reports 14.7 million unemployed people in June, and these figures affect all occupations, from the service industry to blue-and white-collar workers. A related trend is job elimination, which has reduced by millons the number of jobs available.

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