Sociology’s Ofer Sharone Publishes Book on the Plight of Midcareer Unemployed Workers

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Ofer Sharone, associate professor of sociology, has published a new book detailing the plight of long-term unemployed workers, with a focus on highly educated midcareer professionals. “The Stigma Trap: College-Educated, Experienced, and Long-Term Unemployed” (Oxford University Press, Jan. 2024) explores how unemployment can marginalize highly skilled workers and render their education and past career achievements an obstacle rather than an asset. 

In an essay he recently wrote for Time to coincide with the book, Sharone explains that many employers prefer job applicants who are already working, even though unemployed job seekers are most often laid off for reasons that have nothing to do with their performance. 

“The sense is that if someone is good, they would be working,” a recruiter whom Sharone granted anonymity to speak freely said — acknowledging that “this logic is crap.” 

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Using interviews with job seekers, recruiters and career coaches, Sharone lays out how the stigma of long-term unemployment can take a toll on workers’ finances, personal relationships and mental health. In addition to highlighting the ways, large and small, that the deck is often stacked against the most experienced job seekers, “The Stigma Trap” offers strategies to support unemployed workers and policy solutions to ease the stigma of being educated, experienced and looking for work.

“Sharone’s book is a stomach-churning read — but it’s essential to understanding how much of our identity is tied to employment, and how fragile that connection is,” writes Washington Post columnist Karla L. Miller. “Seeing competent professionals with networks, connections and impressive credentials struggle to regain their footing undermines what Sharone calls ‘the comforting myth of meritocracy.’”

In 2013, Sharone founded the Institute for Career Transitions, a not-for-profit organization focused on supporting long-term unemployed workers using data-driven research-based initiatives.

“The Stigma Trap” is available for purchase directly from Oxford University Press and from booksellers everywhere.