Is someone rigging the unemployment numbers? (Hi, my name is Jeri, and I’m a 50-something with experience, talent, wisdom, and a natural love for mentoring. Wherefore art thou, my beloved job?)

In September 2016, the VP of our department summoned me to a cramped little room at 9:30 am to inform me that I was part of a workforce reduction. I’d like to say that it was a shock. It wasn’t. I was 50 and paid more than anyone else on my team. From November 2016 to present, I’ve completed more than 1,000 job applications. The response to most of those applications? Crickets. I archived all of the rejection emails, and they are eerily the same. I participated in about 20 telephone screenings and 10 in-person interviews. After every single screening and interview I was certain that I had landed the position. Zero job offers.

At the beginning, I thought it was just going to be a numbers game and figured it might take me up to a year. The more positions I applied for, the more likely I’d get an interview, and the better my chances were to get a job. It was just all about the numbers. But three years later — after two temporary contract jobs that each lasted several months — I realize that I just didn’t understand the rules of the game.

Do you think it’s because I’m 57? I’m guessing there are a lot of “50-something me’s” out there. And it seems like a frightening number of us are unemployed, but not reported as unemployed. Why are we unemployed and are the statistics right or is somebody rigging the numbers?

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 2.6 percent of Americans 55+ are unemployed. Am I part of a mere 2.6 percent? If so, what am I doing wrong?

I hear a lot of nonsense. People 50 and older just want to “coast” from here on out. No way…I’m raring to go! I’ve never thought of retirement as an option because I LOVE working and being productive and contributing to society. I’ve honed my skills and talent as a marketing professional and teacher during the past three decades. Isn’t that worth something?

I’ve tried to get unemployment every quarter this year, and I’m not eligible because, “37 percent of [my] wages were not earned outside of the quarter with the highest earnings during [my] base year.”

Whaaat? Even the folks at unemployment are at a loss. “What does that mean?” I asked several of the Pennsylvania unemployment representatives.

“Oh, that’s a new rule that happened under the current administration,” one explained and then she sighed, “I know it doesn’t make any sense but that’s the law.”

So, the quarter in which I managed to earn a decent income as a fully employed American worker, actually hurts me. It also allows the state in which I reside to not only avoid paying me unemployment benefits but also avoid counting me as unemployed.

Not trying to sound paranoid here, but it seems like something shady is going on. I’m going to keep researching. I’ve got plenty of time on my hands.