When 500 thousand feels like 500 million

This is a really scary time for the American worker. At my daughter’s place of work, they had over 500 people apply for one position on the very first day.
all of this makes me more concerned than ever that we have an incompetent person like BO in the oval office. God help us all.

Ahh what I think you’ve seen is a situation where many of those 40-60 year olds have been let go to make way for less experienced but ultimately less expensive to the company younger workers. Companies can pay less in salary and less in health benefits since younger workers tend to have less medical problems and many times elect no medical coverage at all.

One other thing to take into consideration no matter the job seekers age: some of those recently laid off were laid off because their employers recognized this was a great time to lay off low performing or problem employees with the excuse “business is slow”. The current economic situation has just turned out to be a convenient excuse for getting rid of people for whatever reason. The employer then turns around and hire someone new to replace the laid off employee. I’ve seen it happen at my spouses company. Managers saw it as a great reason to weed out some problems.

I have a similar story and it is the honest to God’s truth. One guy, when I was in college, was a white water rafting champion. So naturally he put this on his resume under activities and interests. But by some perversion of fate a transposition occurred in the worst possible way; involving the “R” and the “F” in the word “RAFTING” .

You guessed it, he sent dozens of resumes this way before catching the mistake, much to his horror.

I knew the gal (such terms were common back them) who typed up his resume. After that, we all scrutinized our own resumes like it depended on life itself.

They might be willing to attack this problem more if it were their jobs on the line.

Things won’t change until we vote this group out and demand real change.

It’s a sad situation, I’ve been there. It was very humbling and I learned alot. I will likely lose my job in the next several months but I am much better prepared this time.

A family member with a four year degree, constantly on the dean’s list is serving coffee, and had their hours cut back. Another one working at a technical job is lucky, they got cut back to 40 hrs a week. No more paying down the mortgage. Me, I’m back to 40 a week. It’s nice to know that Obama want’s to give the money I could use to help out family members until the economy turns around to his Wall Street cronies.

Good luck to all. Keep your spirits up as you look.

Me and hubby went through this the last big crash, 2001-2002-2003. I don’t wish it on anyone and had enough scars from this time to hope not to deal with it again. But, believe it or not, things can always be worse. (don’t you hate when folks say that, but it’s true)

I was in phx in 2001 when we got word my husband was losing his job to outsourcing from Amex Corp Ctr. Offered a big bonus to stay on through the change, but as we couldn’t take Phx anymore and couldn’t imagine being stuck there without a job (for a 6ths stressful time for my hubby) we decided to make the move that we had been wanting. To Sea. But, unfortunately, timing is everything. We sold our house early Sept 2001 (yep) and had a flight to go line up an apt Mid Sept. Things just got worse from there. We moved up to Sea without a job lined up, thinking the market was still interested in experienced Computer prof. HA! So, from Sept 2001 until Sept 2002, living i Sea, folks applying 1000 at a time there too for jobs, and no income, we had to regroup. Where to go for a job.

Hubby lined up a contract for Cincinnati, OH. We broke our lease, paid thousands to get out of it legally, moved to Cincinnati, to never get a returned phone call from the Contracting Co. Here, in Cincinnati, no nothing, started the job hunt again. Finally landed a good interview, but it took a couple more months and phone calls for them to commit and offically offer the job. We went fro Sept 2001, 2 moves until the end of Jan 2003 without any income. Now making over 30K less.

Dental problems and other health issues all put on hold from 2001, until we had insurance again in the summer of 2003. Now major oral surgery and implants, cornea transplant and breast cancer all ensued in the year after.

We got our sh!t together through this all. Still alive and able to move on (for now, fingers crossed)

Just work through it and you will be stronger when it’s done.

Best wishes to all.

Ahem, tango, wake up and smell the coffee,

Sure, those job discrimination problems definitely exist in the marketplace; but that isn’t what is going on now. There’s a much bigger problem.

What is happening now is a systemic economic collapse here in the US, and a global collapse as well. Unemployment has accelerated massively over the past year; banks like Citigroup and Bank of America are exposed to toxic instruments to the tune of about $76 Trillion dollars. This gov’t has, so far, thrown a couple of $Trillion at the problem, with hints of a couple of $Trillion more being pumped into them. Companies can’t get credit, consumers can’t spend, and the entire global financial system is on the verge of an implosion. When you look at the real unemployment numbers, we’re in double-digit unemployment, rising quickly to depression-era numbers. There are commercial real estate failures on a massive scale–malls will be empty. States are going bankrupt–46 out of 50 states are at risk of going bankrupt. More and more economists are using the “D” word: Depression. We will not, even if we are lucky, turn this economy around until 2015.

It’s not just a few older employees being cleared out under the excuse of a slowdown, or non-productivity.

I’ve got three relatives who have been told they each have to take a week off with no pay because of the economy.

I miss the money from the job I quit, but I’m doing o.k. so far with my retirement. I guess the position I left will at least serve as a lifeline for someone who really needs the money.

Like the news IBM is laying of what few US employees they have, BUT, they’ll offer you a job to move to India or Russia if you want to keep a job.

They say, because that’s where growth is. No, what they mean is that’s where your job went. When we were still consuming the products, they were training and shipping the jobs in to a cheaper market.

And now that Obama played ball with the Computer industry for their support, allowing them to partake in weekly conf policy calls and some be an adviser like CEO of Google, Eric, Schmidt, you receive added bene’s with tax cuts for the money you are making overseas and want to bring back.

Is that creating jobs for our country?
tsh

Now, that’s a story of survival, “linda,too.” I know it doesn’t mean much, from a stranger, but your story inspires awe in me. So, thanks for sharing your experiences. You ought to try writing it up for a magazine! In times like these, inspiration does help people…

And, Obama is proving that old saying, as he is the PERFECT example of the “ME” generation.

“Greed will be our countries demise.” and we seem to be on course.

Thank you. And it DOES mean a lot! If I can share to help my fellow man through their struggles, it makes it all the better.

ROFL…that’s hilarious. Winston you just crack me up. But, of course, I’m sorry for your friend. How awful…

A Job fair can be very depressing. It is intimidating to see so many people clamoring for work with so few positions. It seems like an exercise in futility and can actually kill any confidence you had in your own abilities at a time when confidence sells.

It is hard to project a positive, confident attitude when you are dying on the inside. But that is what you must do, and have faith in yourself and go back and review all your strengths, and those alone. Now is not the time to be critical of any of your past failures. Blot them out. I pray our country gets its act together. I am tired of reminiscing for the good ole days. I want them here and I want them now.

God Speed to all.

I’m not saying that’s the only problem. I am specifically responding to why so many of the people at the job fair were 40-60 years old. I am saying in tough times employers will do what’s BEST for them, not the employee. And if they can find someone to do work cheaper, better, or with less hassle, they will lay off and fire to their hearts content and use the excuse “it’s the economy” whether it’s true or not. And I believe that for many companies they are management level deep and those levels are the first cut.

So no, I’m not trying to say it’s all age discrimination or bad attitude employees at the job fair. I am saying it’s a cause for some lay offs though.

A very well-written AND disturbing post. I am so worried about so many friends as well as all of our citizens having such troubles.

Just emailed my Senator suggesting that they take Hillary’s gas tax holiday one step further and scrap the bail out bill and reduce our taxes by that amount.
If defaulted loans and mortgages got us to this point why not let those who owe use the money to catch up on them. Those of us who are debt free will either invest it or consume, oth good stimulants for the economy.
Of course that leaves Obama’s pets out in the cold, but they should be usd to that after living in Rezkoville.

In March 1933, Roosevelt summoned Harry Hopkins to Washington as federal relief administrator. Convinced that paid work was psychologically more valuable than cash handouts (the “dole”), Hopkins sought to continue and expand the Hoover administrations’ work-relief programs, especially FERA. He supervised the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), the Civil Works Administration (CWA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Over 90% of the people employed by the Hopkins programs were unemployed or on relief. He feuded with Harold Ickes, who ran a rival program the PWA which also created jobs but did not require applicants be unemployed or on relief.

FERA, the largest program from 1933-35, was a continuation of Hoover’s relief program and involved giving money to localities to operate work relief. CWA was similar, but focused on short-term projects that left a lasting impact. In less than two months, the Civil Works Administration hired four million people, and during its five-months of operation, the CWA built and repaired 200 swimming pools, 3,700 playgrounds, 40,000 schools, 250,000 miles of road, and 12 million feet of sewer pipe.

The Works Progress Administration, which followed the CWA, employed 8.5 million people in its seven-year history, working on 1.4 million projects, including the building or repair of 103 golf courses, 1,000 airports, 2,500 hospitals, 2,500 sports stadiums, 3,900 schools, 8,192 parks, 12,800 playgrounds, 124,031 bridges, 125,110 public buildings, and 651,087 miles of highways and roads. The WPA operated on its own, and selected projects with the cooperation of local and state government but operated them with its own staff and budget.

Hopkins started programs for youth (National Youth Administration) and for artists and writers (Federal One Programs). He and Eleanor Roosevelt worked together to publicize and defend New Deal relief programs. He was concerned with rural areas but more and more focused on Cities in the great depression.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Hopkins

Actually, this could be done better. The situation now is different, and stronger emphasis should be put on the principle of skilled workers, such as tool and die makers, providing the means for production — and a “science driver” approach, such as fourth generation nuclear power, magnetic levitation rail, and such, providing a foundation and support for development of the real physical economy which the U.S.A. has so much lost during the last four decades.

But potholes need filling too.

Re: The young woman engineer; As the wife of an engineer with 20+ years experience, I can tell you the bigger problem will be that there are many FOREIGN engineers who are competing with her.

FOREIGN ENGINEERS ARE TAKING OUR JOBS WITH GOV’T'S BLESSING!

Before our engineers lose their jobs, each and EVERY foreign engineer should be sent back home. Foreign engineers are taking over our universities and our companies.

But companies continue hiring them because they are cheap labor and the execs need to keep their money coming in for their paychecks/bonuses.

Call too!

1-877-331-1223

For some reason, no one seems to know about this toll free number to the Capitol Switchboard. I nailed it years ago.

I now have Vonage, so I don’t worry about long distance calls, but many do have to consider that.

H-1B visa abuse is a pox upon the land. It is the gateway to our own demise.

You left out the good part: employees taking jobs in foreign countries have to accept prevailing wages of those countries. If the country pays 20 cents to the dollar, that’s what you get.
The outsourcing of jobs has to stop. Why does my Bank have to employ people from India to answer my questions over the phone? Not enough people in this country willing to do the work? Are engineers in China more capable of doing the work then those in the U.S.? Or is their main qualification, they can work for less? Without people working, this country is finished as a “world power”.

Maybe then we should rethink this illegal alien thing. They take jobs that legal people should have. It’s funny that people will be without work, but there are jobs they won’t do that the illegals will. One of the biggest problems for our economy and our future is the sheer volume of people coming here and becoming a burden on us. When you have a family to support, children, etc. then you should be willing to dig ditches to take care of them. It’s sad to say it, but during this time people might have to take things they don’t want. I just wish this country would stop taking other countries’ citizens and handing them our jobs and wealth.

This is just another reason why we need medicare to open up to everyone, paid for by a larger amount taking from our paychecks. It sucks to get old, and it’s worse with no income and no health insurance. This may be the ‘new’ social security reform, we won’t last until we qualify. Ergo, what a savings?

The banks that took the most bail-out money have been laying off US workers and hiring foreigners by way of H-1B visas for years.

But to live you must have a job that pays enough to cover the cost of food, clothing and shelter, with medical care coming in last. And all you have to sell is you labor and skill. Yet, we have seen benefits, days off, salaries dwindling for decades.

Workers aren’t just “human units” to be inserted on a cost analysis spread sheet. They are not replaceable parts. Every worker has sold his labor to a company for a set price; he’s not a slave to the company and doesn’t “owe his soul” to the company. It’s a short step from dehumanizing employees as “obsolete units” to dehumanizing humans as slaves.

It took the Triangle Shirtwaste Factory Fire of 1911 that killed 148 workers to get the doors of factories unlocked for emergency evacuations; what will it take for companies to realize that their behavior has contributed to this economic mess by outsourcing and moving so much production offshore and into countries that allow sweatshops. The United States is behind every other industrialized nation in employment security, benefits and health care – but those countries aren’t in as much economic trouble as we are. And you can’t sell a refrigerator or a car to someone who has lost their home to put it in. The last time this happened in the 1980s, people began bartering their skills outside the economic system because when you can’t find jobs it is the only way left to survive.

stimulus package?

JUNEAU — Gov. Sarah Palin is opposing the federal economic stimulus package pushed by her former campaign adversary, President Barack Obama.

“I agree with the decision of Senator (Lisa) Murkowski and Congressman (Don) Young to vote NO on the package,” Palin said in a written statement.

Normally the views of a small-state governor on the stimulus package would draw only local interest. But Palin is a different story. There’s been national media speculation about her position and, according to the governor’s office, erroneous reports in the Lower 48 indicating that she is supportive of the stimulus.

By Wednesday afternoon, the press statement issued by the governor’s office opposing the package was up on Palin’s Facebook Web page — right below an invitation to donate to SarahPAC, her new national political action committee.

Palin also e-mailed a letter to SarahPAC supporters around the country Wednesday, promising to speak out and propose new policies to “ensure that America’s best days are ahead of us.”

Palin said she agrees some kind of stimulus plan is needed and supports getting federal money for tax breaks and construction projects in the state. But Palin said she’s “against increased federal programs that will become a state’s unfunded mandate to continue funding for generations.”

Palin and Republican leaders of the state Legislature wrote a letter to members of Alaska’s Congressional delegation earlier this week expressing that same concern.

Do not underestimate this woman. She is a force to reckon with and has the instincts and drive of a natural born leader. Any other person would have crumbled under the pressure and assault that she faced. She has got grit and once some rough edges get smoothed over watch out.

Sarah Palin turns 45 on February 11th.

Sarah Palin’s Anchorage Office (the one she works out of most days):

Anchorage Office
550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1700
Anchorage, AK 99501

Send her a birthday card.

They may refer to globalization as the great leveller, what with the out-sourcing of U.S. jobs abroad, but the dirty little secret about this economy is that soon we will ALL be outsourced by those in our own domestic unemployment lines!

The only question is this: When will the race to the bottom end?

Where will we need to be in national unemployment percentages before the glass becomes half-full again? When will our average wage increases exceed the rate of inflation?

I’m no economist, but these are the questions I’d like answered!

I so can’t wait until she’s president in 2013 and can start cleaning up this mess. An iconic picture of her with a mop and broom, playing on the old housewife stereotype, would perfectly fit the bill.

Excellent! Thank you.

…spot on.

And every PAC is turning in to a partisan attack org on her, because they apparently, politically, fear her. Especially with O-shit in the W H giving us fine examples of his great communications, BOberry.

Bingo! Its amazing what competent leadership can do, isn’t it?

I am no fan of the Chinese government but am starting to like their means of dealing with corporate execs who screw up.
They kill them.
If white collar crimes with a high enough dollar figure were made capital crimes, we might not get screwed any less often but I’d feel a damn sight happier about it knowing some SOB who robbed us all is busy in his new career as fertilizer. Its hard to spend money when in that condition.
Bankers, brokers, and Barney, the Purple Congressman.

I completely agree with you Tango. I have seen this exact thing happen in my workplace.

I’ve discuss this with my husband who is a manager. His take: During the “fat” times, employers hired way too many employees, hired employees for way more than they were worth and tolerated the under- performers. The “lean” times are the times for employers to cull the extra and low-performers.

It is very cyclical. Tough pill to swallow, but true.

Sarah in 2012? Great! But who will challenge Obamulus in the Dem primary ’12???

Much of what you say is untrue. On the universities side, at majority of the 2nd and 3rd tier universities we don’t have enough local students applying at all, especially for MS (I know this from experience for Computer Science). So the universities populate them with foreign students because they need money and enrollment(students live on a shoestring budget and work hard and get trained to work to fill the gaps). In fact, if you are a citizen, there are so many Federal agencies you can work for that are not open to foreign graduates. Science and Engineering has always been a problem for America where the smarter ones always go into law and medicine.

I think the first response of replacing older workers with cheaper younger workers is the most likely.
From my experience, if there is an opportunity to get rid of workers because they are duds, a lot of them are younger workers who came in during the boom time with no work ethic. The older ones have the work ethic, they just cost more.

On the news that the job loss situation is the worst since 1974, the Market was, “Up,” today.

There’s a big surprise, eh?

This is what Big Money likes – the Help all scared shitless, all the time. Afraid to talk back, come in late, take a day off for a pap smear or mammogram or parent-teacher conference.

After eight years of Republican screwed-up administration, did you expect anything else?

And, do you REALLY think that President Puddinhead is going to do the Hopey-Changey Dance and lead us all to Canaan?

Studies show Businesses will displace an American experienced worker for 15,000.00 p year.

And you have even Senators like Kennedy that have been pimping and agreeing to up the H1B Visas to record amounts, as we lose more and more jobs.

Like I said, GREED will be this countries demise.

Caroline Kennedy? lol

But who will challenge Obamulus in the Dem primary ‘12???

Okay, I’ll play. Outside of Hillary, the only possible strong candidate I see is Wesley Clark.

And don’t forget “honest”.

My maternal grandfather was a History major at Purdue with a full-ride scholarship for academics and football…in 1928.

That gig evaporated with the Depression and he got a job driving a truck. Which he did gladly and well until 1973, when he took his Teamsters pension and SS and moved to Florida to spend Golden Years in the sun.

Not many gear-jammers can hold forth for 3 or 4 hours on the Rappahannock Valley Campaign, or the Battle of Chancellorsville or why Reno and Bentene were REALLY put of positin at the Little Big Horn while negotiation a few dozen tons of freight on Midwestern ice.

Sometimes, we play the cards we’re dealt…

I worked my way out of poverty in my early twenties after a family crisis put me in extreme circumstances, so all this bothers me less than most. Been there, done that. All I can tell you is a job is a job is a job is a job. It’s called get a job, any job, unless sleeping on the streets appeal to you, or the shelters, none of which are good places to be for anyone, certainly not for a young woman fresh out of college. You learn to be more rugged about these things and not be so concerned with THE job you always dreamed about. Save that for your spare time for now.

I’ve done pretty well since then, and my tips are to not have anything particular in mind, that any honest work is good work and you can always get something better later. Diversify your skills by learning something new, do volunteer work, cultivate as many different fields at once as you can and build your network that way. I’ve basically assumed there won’t be retirement by the time I’m ready, so I’m working on my job plans for that time now.

I hope you are right that she is President in 2013. It would be nice to have someone honest, hardworking and trustworthy in office, rather than the disaster we got in ’08.

The more they attack her, the more they show they are scared of her. Apparently they are still asking if Trig is her baby. What is that all about? It’s really spooky and bizarre that she twists people up so much. And “O-Shit” better watch it. She will be a very refreshing change from his lies and broken promises.

Relax. I’m working in commercial real estate at the moment, and so far delinquencies are low though there is concern about bankrupcies of our tenants anchoring some of the malls. Our department head has been complaining about the media distorting things. If the media uses the “D” word, they use it irresponsibly, and it may become self-fulfilling prophecy if they don’t shut up.

As for laying off problem workers, some places prefer to lay off older workers because then they won’t have to pay retirement benefits. Then they can hire younger workers making much less with retirement very far in the future. It isn’t always because the employee is the problem. I’ve worked in corporate for years, it can be very political sometimes.

Do not underestimate this woman. She is a force to reckon with and has the instincts and drive of a natural born leader. Any other person would have crumbled under the pressure and assault that she faced. She has got grit and once some rough edges get smoothed over watch out.

Sarah Palin has the values and convictions that America needs. I appreciate the fact that she doesn’t waver in her beliefs, but is also understanding to those that don’t share her traditional values.
Palin could lead the…
Great Patriotic Backlash Revolution coming in 2012.

MPB,
Good, solid advice from someone who “has the t-shirt” is always a good thing. I recall (old codger line) the 70′s were like that with Carter. You didn’t look for a career, you looked for a JOB and were thankful as heck if you got one.
Ah, the good ol’ days…

I am ready to storm the Bastille. All she has to do is say “Go”. I would crawl over broken glass for her. To me she is Joan of Arc.

Sarah Palin has the blood of a libertarian and the heart of a lion; a very close cousin of the PUMA.

correct, ellen.

word, Linda; we average folks here in america are left with american-level prices and expenses, but china-level wages (if we have a job at all). the brilliant crooks who are running this country thought that this was a good idea.

From one who lived through it:

1. You looked for a JOB starting with Nixon, and you tried to make sure it was draft-deferred.

2. The 1973-1974 Recession started on Saint Jerry’s watch, with help from our friends in Riyadh.

3. Carter beat Ford in 1976 because unemployment exceeded 7 per cent.

4. To quench “stagflation,” the Fed had a hand in creating the conditions that started the 73-74 Recession.

5. One major cause of Stagflation was LBJ’s “Guns and Butter” policies of the Vietnam war, when the printing presses ran wide open making Greenbacks.

[...] about the atmosphere at a job fair he recently attended.  It’s a good post, so please read here when you get the chance: To the disgust of many there–and you could see it in their faces–this [...]

5. One major cause of Stagflation was LBJ’s “Guns and Butter” policies of the Vietnam war, when the printing presses ran wide open making Greenbacks.

A lot of people failed to recognize that little pesky fact.

Right you are.

This is your explanation of what’s going on?…Rather myopic.

MLOL:) Who knows, this may soon be one of the few forms of entertainment we can affart:)

They just lowered it to 55 – or so I heard. Let me know if I am wrong.

[...] Interesting article from No Quarter about job fairs. http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2009/02/06/when-500-thousand-feels-like-500-million/#more-13426 [...]

Lowered what to 55?

diet after dental surgery…

Nevertheless there will always be a minority who will not get the point you are trying to make….