Underemployment in a Time Such as This

Monday, October 27, 2025

Happy Monday, my friends! If you’ve been following along with developments in the life of our LOVEboldly community, you know that financial constraints, many the secondary and tertiary fruits of the present moment in our history, have required me to reduce my hours and have affected our overall capacity to keep all operations the same as before. One sign of this was the lack of Monday Moment last week when I simply didn’t have the time to write it. It’s a sad and troubling position to be in, but we are also, unfortunately, not unique. Other organizations, many LGBTQIA+ serving, have had to reduce staff and programs in order to make ends meet. In many cases, those reductions have come as part of the elimination of federal and state programs or the embargo on programs supporting nonprofits which fall under the nebulous title of DEI. While some private philanthropy and other private giving has stepped up to support programs focused on basic necessities like housing, food, clothing, and health care, that funding reorientation has caused money that in other times would have supported advocacy and faith organizations like LOVEboldly to be limited or to dry up entirely.

I now find myself in a period of underemployment, an area which is not well understood by many people. We often focus on employment and unemployment with a special category for full time students who may or may not be employed in addition to their studies. The idea of underemployment, though rarely discussed, is often seen as privileged because “you still have a job.” That’s true. I might be underemployed, but I still have jobs, and I still have money coming in. However, underemployment, particularly for people living paycheck-to-paycheck, can cause significant problems for people to meet their expenses particularly if their continued employment excludes them from (remaining) government programs or other relief.

In trying to stay positive, I’m counting the blessings I have. I’m trying to look at what this time can provide: more time to focus on school and learning; more time to work on church-related projects; and time to consider what’s next for me both in terms of my professional life and what I hope is still a long term engagement with LOVEboldly (Yep! You’re not getting rid of me that easily.). That said, none of us should have to be in positions where we need to “stay positive” because staying positive is exhausting. It can lead to all types of burnout.

How do you respond to underemployment or unemployment? How do you “stay positive” without emotionally exhausting yourself?

Let us pray: God, we pray for everyone making their way through unemployment and underemployment. We ask you to grant them grace as they move through this season and empower them to persist in searching and finding new or expanded employment. Hold them closely when they experience rejection and celebrate with them when new opportunities become realized. We ask this through Jesus, our savior and liberator. Amen.

Blessings on your weeks, my friends! Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.

Faithfully,

Ben +