This blog series was prepared by Jewelle Edwards, who joined the staff at PELC through their youth employment training program, INSPIRE.

Here we are, the final blog of the series! We’ve spent time looking at just a few of the ways the living on a low income affects different areas of life, including mental health, physical health, and education. In this last blog, we will talk about employment!

Getting a Job

The first step to becoming employed is looking for a job. We all know how difficult it can be to find a job, especially during the COVID – 19 pandemic when many businesses are shut down.

Some ways that income affects the job search.

• You can’t afford to buy the right clothes for the interview
• Transportation might cost a lot, especially if you aren’t even sure you will get the job
• You may not apply for a job if it is far away, because it would cost too much to get there
• Childcare might cost more than the money you will make
• You might not be able to afford the equipment and supplies for the job you want to apply for

Childcare is very expensive. Sometimes working and paying for childcare is more expensive than staying home.

There are many construction jobs in the County. You might need to buy your own equipment when you start a job, like boots, gloves and googles. This can be very expensive.

Chris Durant – INSPIRE Coordinator at PELC

Research shows that if you live on a low income, you might not have many connections to people in your community. You can have a lot of difficulty finding jobs without connections to other people. Especially in rural areas, like PEC.

I would really like to work at that store, but they only seem to hire people they know.