- ir s
I
DETROIT
750
THE
7 ADAR 5754 / FEBRUARY 18, 1994
Living With The White-Collar Blues
Managerial careers face more corporate cost-cutting.
Inside
12CHAYINI
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
on't talk to Gerry Kaplan
about the improving unem-
ployment picture around
the country.
In June, the 44-year-old
Mr. Kaplan, an architect,
was laid off after two years
of working for one of the
largest architectural engi-
neering firms in Michigan
which was in the process of
reorganizing.
Today, Mr. Kaplan is do-
ing temporary work as a
projects manager with
Henry Ford Health System
in Detroit. He receives no
benefits and less money
than in his previous job, but
has the prospect of eventu-
ally working on a more per-
manent basis.
Jobs held by Mr. Kaplan and other
white-collar professionals used to be
fairly secure. Now, such careers are
falling prey to corporate downsizing, an
increased use of temporary help, and
a lack of expansion in professional fields.
The Jewish community is skewed
with a high number of college and post-
college graduates who hold highly
trained, technical or managerial jobs,
according to Barbara Nurenberg, exec-
utive director of Jewish Vocational
Service.
Catholic School
Represents Israel
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
hirteen students from a local all-
girls Catholic high school headed
to Washington, D.C., this week as
experts on Israel and Israeli
policy.
As participants in Georgetown Uni-
versity's North American Invitational
Model United Nations, the Marian High
School students are representing Israel
during the four-day competition which
simulates activities of the United
Nations.
The event, which began yesterday,
has 140 schools from around the coun-
try, each representing one of the 184
U.N. countries.
"Israel was our first choice because
we thought it would be challenging to
represent," said Timothy Wallace, mod-
erator for Marian's Model U.N. Club
and religion teacher at the school.
"We picked our country three days
before the peace accord was signed in
SCHOOL page 8
"Part of the problem is that job growth economics department at Michigan
is not in the area where the Jewish com- State University, said in many instances
munity is," Ms. Nurenberg said. "While jobs have just disappeared.
"Large companies have fired their
there has been some decrease in unem-
ployment, it has not had a significant middle-management, and a lot of the
Fortune 500 companies are restructur-
impact on this community.
"Jewish white-collar professionals ing and downsizing and don't need as
are used to having traditional jobs
with benefits and are finding it
hard to replace such jobs. Those
who do often do so at a lower in-
come. This is especially affecting
those who make $40,000 a year or
more."
According to an on-going study
conducted by the U.S. Department
of Labor Bureau of Labor
Statistics, the number of displaced
workers in the finance, insurance
and real-estate fields has steadily
increased since the study began in
1979. Fifteen years ago, 1.8 per-
cent of this working population
was without a job. When the sur-
vey was repeated in the '90s, 7.1
percent were unemployed.
Shirley Schlang, director of ca-
reer development and job placement many executives," Dr. Kreinin said.
"The kinds of professions occupied by
with JVS, knows of cases in which en-
tire departments have been eliminated. Jewish people are in the areas with no
To save money and prevent paying for expansion and in which managerial jobs
benefits, more and more companies are have disappeared."
Economists like Malcolm Cohen, a
turning to subcontractors or freelance
workers, Ms. Schlang said.
Mordechai Kreinin, professor in the JOBS page 8
What Did You
Bring Me?
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Remember when
everyone came back from
Israel with a postcard and
a T-shirt showing the Old
City of Jerusalem?
You won't believe what
they're bringing back
these days.
Story on page 49
family sedio
ors
ce!ebretes the Pular, it& i
age 55
eyon
56-page special se47ir
OIL Dair tf: area businm.
u enter.
TELL ME WHY
stionsi
n
612,.
e s oevitg of
orrting