Should the Unemployed be Required to Volunteer?

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Do you know anyone that’s unemployed? I do. You probably do too. They collect checks from the government and their only responsibility is to continue to search for work. The job options are few and far between. Many go for extended periods of time without finding work, especially if they do not have transferable skills. Many wish they could do something, and wish the government would help them out on that end instead of just cutting a check, according to the Huffington Post. Many probably feel guilty about getting a free ride from the government (of course some of them are very happy there).

I could probably make an argument about setting up a giant temp agency. The government probably needs bodies in chairs somewhere and these people could fill them and continue to be paid their unemployment. But I’d rather the government figure out a way to eliminate that position instead of perpetually filling it with unemployed people. However, there are other places where the unemployed could be valuable.

Thousands of charities and organizations are in need of volunteers to help their causes. From licking envelops to fundraising to cleaning. Anything a normal volunteer can do an unemployed person can do too. Call them “Municipal Volunteers” or “Mutineers” “Muniteers” for short. It would be a corp of volunteers ready and willing to contribute to society. Their unemployment wages do not change, nor does the duration in which they receive them. They are simply required to volunteer for 10 hours or so each week.

This benefits the Muniteers as much as the organizations. Many people have difficulty explaining the employment gaps on their resume but everyone would know what a Muniteer is and they could potentially gain some kind of new skills. Aside from that they get to feel somewhat useful to society, which for many people, is more detrimental than the loss of income.

All plans have downsides. How would an organization qualify to use the Muniteers program? Who is responsible for reporting the Muniteer’s hours? Is the Muniteer punished for not showing up at scheduled times? What if there are more Muniteers than there are open positions? All good questions which I don’t have answers to. I’d need a boardroom full of minds and a whiteboard to figure all that stuff out.

But there are a few other things to address. I don’t feel that at present, the unemployed should feel compelled to volunteer. Were I unemployed I’m not 100% certain I’d volunteer either. But then again I have this website to help me continue to feel useful. What bothers me is people that complain that they want something to do (such as the people in the HuffPost article), but don’t ever consider volunteering. If building roads is all you ever wanted to do, then go find a construction company and volunteer your time. If you don’t then what you’re really saying is you want someone to pay you to do what you want to do. It’s a big difference. I want to do what I want to do, but I do want someone to pay me. I won’t pretend it’s so important I would do it for free.

I’m all about the freedom to choose, but I’m not above taking that freedom away. The human brain needs to be nudged sometimes. A formal program with just a basic requirement for completion would nudge a few million people away from watching soap operas all day, and help many feel less like freeloaders. I know most of you unemployeds aren’t freeloaders, but I also don’t blame you for feeling that way.

The Muniteer Corp is a good way for at least some people to continue to feel useful and gain skills while in the unemployment line. The networking opportunities could even lead to a few getting off unemployment. Should it be required? I’m not sure. But I do want the unemployed to feel useful, and I want the ones that need to feel useful to have a formal program in which to do it.

Photo: Editor B

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By The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics. Also keep in mind that nothing I say can be construed as financial advice.

categories: business, economics, government, jobs

http://www.wisebread.com/philip-brewer Philip Brewer

I’m strongly behind any program that makes work available to people who’re having trouble finding it. But I know from experience that it’s much harder to find people useful work than it is to cut them a check. In particular, your statement, “Anything a normal volunteer can do an unemployed person can do too,” is just wrong: There are plenty of things that a normal volunteer can do that a random unemployed person can’t, starting with articulating some version of the non-profit’s goals and vision.

Back in the 1970s there was a government program called CETA that tried to do exactly what you’re describing. They made a huge effort to solve the problems that you’ve acknowledged—they did the hiring and provided transportation and management. All the non-profit was supposed to need to do was assign work. And yet, the workers provided were just barely better than nothing, and not always that. (I’ve written about my experience with CETA workers in my article Find Work Worth Doing.)

I’m with you, but it’s harder than you imagine. If you haven’t tried to do it yourself, it’s probably harder than you can imagine.
.-= Philip Brewer´s last blog ..USDA Data Visualization Tool =-.
http://monevator.com Monevator

I share some of your concerns, and your motivations. The one time in my life I almost collected an unemployment cheque (right after graduation) I couldn’t do it. The people had done enough for me, putting me through University at a time it was still free for students in the UK – I had to find something, *anything*, to do, which I did.

So I like the idea of volunteering to give those who don’t have the option of being choosy something useful to do, which may give them some pride, as well as the rest of society better roads or tidier parks.

But have you considered the problem of crowding out? If the unemployed are repairing the roads or cutting lawns, then suddenly the minimum wage guy who was using it as a first step somewhere better, isn’t.

I know — looking about almost any city on Earth there seems to be something someone could fix without treading on another’s toes. But I suspect it may be more subtle, unfortunately.
.-= Monevator´s last blog ..Buffett: Why the property bubble bursting was a good thing =-.
http://agaishanlife.blogspot.com Revanche

From a purely paperwork standpoint – at least in CA – there’s a huge roadblock thrown up to prevent you from volunteering and being honest about it. They ask you if there was any reason you could not have accepted work any day during the week you’re applying for UI. If you’ve made a commitment to volunteering, the honest answer would be yes, you couldn’t have worked on the day you were volunteering even though you would have been willing to burn a bridge (or not, I’m sure orgs would understand that you’d have to leave to take a paying job).

If they made volunteering an acceptable occupation during periods of UI without punishing people for doing so, it’d be great but I suspect it’s not worth their time and trouble. Inundated as the agency is, they’d rather easily verify that you could or couldn’t have worked and pay or not pay based on that without having to take into account your volunteer activities and whether or not someone is avoiding finding paid work through volunteering.
Misty Jane

Volunteering is wonderful. Organizations are always asking for volunteers. But have you ever tried to make contact with an organization that says it needs volunteers? I have friends who’d love to volunteer at various organizations, but after leaving voicemail after voicemail, or email after email, they’ve given up because no one ever calls back. Does anyone know why organizations ask for volunteers yet won’t call those expressing interest?
Pingback: Buffet gains, Brazil overheating and unemployment
http://lifetuner.org Keith Morris

Definitely lots of challenges to doing what you propose, but I agree with the sentiment. Volunteering is great for all the reasons you wrote about. My wife was unemployed for a full year. During that time, while she was looking for a job, she volunteered to teach religious education at our church. When she was called in for an interview, they noticed the lack of work and asked her what she had been doing for the last year. It certainly helped her to show that she had been practicing her profession.
http://www.thesoapboxers.com Kosmo

More than 2.5 million unemployed young men did work for the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 30s and 40s (max of 300K at any point in time).

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