Being underemployed can have a positive impact if you use your extra time wisely, writes Jim Bright.

The recent employment statistics show that employment is holding up reasonably; that employers are busting a gut to keep their people employed but they are evidently doing so by cutting out overtime, making people take leave and cutting their hours. So there are plenty of people out there who are underemployed.

Being underemployed by definition is a recipe for stress. You are underemployed because you want more work, not less. It can be disheartening and frustrating.
However, there are things you can do to address underemployment.

Firstly, ask yourself whether underemployment is really such a bad thing. For some it will represent a slowing down, or failure to launch a career, but the longer-term prospects are still pretty rosy. For others, it is survivable, not ideal but it can be lived through. For some, however, their financial circumstances mean underemployment is catastrophic.

For the first group, a good strategy is to keep as closely in touch with your normal or desired occupational area while making sufficient money to keep your head above water.

Consider volunteering or getting involved with a trade or professional association to keep you connected and up to date with developments. Plan your week so that you do a job, any job, that makes ends meet while leaving time to devote to keeping in touch with your industry. The best way to keep in touch is to get out and meet as many people connected with your work as possible. Plan each week to have coffee or other social or professional contact with as many such people as possible. Keep in the loop.

For those who can survive a downturn in hours, do some number-crunching of the finances to work out a worst-case scenario that you can survive. You'd be surprised how reassuring it can be to know that, if worst comes to the worst, it might be painful but not fatal.

With that "floor" in place, relax a little and consider using the time to engage in some favoured projects.

These could include spending some valuable time with your family, doing up the house, getting involved seriously with a community project in your local area or, maybe even better, identifying someone who is needier than you and could benefit from some pro-bono work. Consider enrolling in some training courses, either vocational or avocational - anything as long as you are learning and interacting.

Using your downtime productively will leave you more refreshed, better educated, having contributed meaningfully to your family or community and probably a lot more employable when the upswing starts (which will be sooner than you think).

If underemployment means catastrophe in your mind, first get a reality check from an objective observer.How bad is it really? If it is bad, remember that every minute you spend worrying or arguing about your plight is a minute lost to finding alternative or additional employment. Get your resume checked out and put into good order (most resumes are shockers - there are some good books out there on this subject, even one by this writer). Step back and consider alternative occupations or jobs.

Resist the temptation to think in terms of what is "beneath you"; the only thing beneath most of us are our feet.

If things are really as bad as you feel, then don't sabotage yourself by ruling out available opportunities to pay the bills. Act now. Do not take a wait-and-see approach. It is easier to find work while in work.
Most jobs are found through personal contacts, so the more people you talk to and the more your resume is circulated, the better your chances. Focus exclusively on finding additional work and plan work-search activities for all of the usual working week.

Explore all opportunities and explore as widely as possible.

Suspend judgment about opportunities until you have met employers and understood what is really involved. You may find exciting and rewarding opportunities in the most unexpected places.
Finally, remember it will get better - and pretty soon.

Jim Bright is professor of career education and development at ACU National and a partner at Bright and Associates, a career management consultancy.