In this current economic climate, we all knew lots of layoffs were coming at struggling U.S. businesses. Even so, I'm stunned by all the recent headlines about tens of thousands getting sacked at many different companies.
The monster news today is Circuit City, the nation's second biggest electronics retailer, which is going out of business after failing to find a buyer. Already in bankruptcy, it is closing 567 stores and cutting 30,000 jobs.
Holy crap, 30k jobs? Where are all those people going to go? This week also brought news of AMD laying off 1,100, and Seagate cutting 6 percent.
I did a little research to get some perspective on the scale of these layoffs, and saw this on CNNMoney.com, "
Mass layoffs highest since 9/11." According to the story:
The number of layoff announcements involving at least 50 workers rose in September to the highest level since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks seven years ago, the government said.
There were 2,269 mass layoff actions, up 497 from August, according to statistics released by the Labor Department. That was the most mass layoffs since the 2,407 in September 2001.
So it's bleak out there. Even the brilliant, life-saving water landing on the Hudson can only boost our spirits for so long. In the meantime, there is a lot of help out there on the web. Stories about how to deal with layoffs and how to network are sprouting up like Twitter followers. The Silicon Valley Insider, for instance, has a helpful series called, "
How (And Why!) To Talk About Being Laid-Off."
The insider is following a group of laid-off tech workers as they find their way back into gainful employment. My favorite of the job seekers is former content manager
Heather Fink, 27. She's having to make some hard changes, as she tells the Insider, and I'll let her have the last word.
Q: Have you had to change your lifestyle at all? If so, any tips for other readers in your position?
Yes. I realized I'm a total yuppie. Manicures, fancy lotions, organic tampons -- you name it. I learned how to be really careful with grocery shopping and think about what I'm really going to eat. I used to eat all organic and I've changed my standards to just fresh. ... Also, keeping a clean apartment helps maintain sanity. I'm otherwise more cluttered. Not going out and drinking late much because I can't handle waking up late and doing nothing all day as an unemployed person. Too sad.
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