Jobs affected by Covid-19

[DawnM]

I have been reading various message boards and talking to friends whose husbands, children, relatives have been either furloughed or terminated.

How is everyone doing?

As I posted yesterday, my son's paid internship has been canned.  

Also yesterday, my husband had to sit in on a mandatory meeting for the firm.  They have stated that partners are taking a pay cut already (my husband is not a partner), they are looking at cutting retirement benefits for everyone (down to bare bones until this is over), and if things get worse, they are considering cutting hours/pay (for everyone) so that no one has to actually lose their job.  Laying off would be a last choice measure.

It is making me rethinking leaving this school district for next year.  I would rather be far enough down the line to not lose a job.  I am still hoping for a transfer within the district to something closer to my house, but thinking I would feel more secure staying in this district.

Please know I am not complaining.  I am very thankful we have jobs that seem to be secure for the moment, even if we have to take a cut in benefits for a while.

How about you guys?

Edited April 7, 2020 by DawnM

[Carrie12345]

The current conversation at dh’s company is 25% pay cuts. We’re trying to process that.  Of course it’s better than many situations, but it’s still a big deal to us.

[Laura Corin]

I'm working from home and my job is safe for the moment.  I'm not sure about the autumn when the university is trying to dig its way out of the financial hole it will be in.

'Calvin' was furloughed from one of his jobs, which means the government will pay him 80% of the wages that he received in February.  His other job is being sticky about stating that he has been furloughed, because that means they can't call him in to cover for sick colleagues.  He is talking to HR in that case.

[Bootsie]

DS lost his job (as a valet); most of his college-aged and young adult friends have lost their jobs (personal trainer, security guard, restaurant worker, barber).  DD began grad school at an international univ this spring and was waiting for her student visa to be processed before she could get a job.  Three weeks ago every business had a "help wanted" sign in the window--now everyone is out of work.  So, she is in a position of apartment rent and no job, when she could have just stayed home because her classes have all been moved online until the fall.  Most of her friends have lost their jobs or had hours cut.  

My employer (university) announced a freeze on hiring (even positions already approved), a delay in merit raises that were scheduled to occur for the fall semester, curtailment of building renovation that was underway, and other budget cuts.  

[Alice]

Everyone in my office is taking a 20% paycut to avoid lay offs or furloughs. Most medical offices are hurting right now, which I think people don’t realize. So far, dh’s office is doing well. They actually just hired someone who started yesteday. Dh is an architect though so we’re wondering what things will be like when the current projects they have are finished. Back in 2009 it was tough for them as not many people were building the kind of things they work on. We have a friend who is a dentist and who owns his own practice and he may end up losing it because of this. 

We do realize that we’re lucky to be able to weather a paycut and that it could be much much worse and is that way for many people. 

[Guest]

The current situation is sure to crater our finances. Part of our income is dh’s plumbing contracting and the other part is property management. We have halved the rent for our tenants for as long as the executive order remains intact. I do not know if everyone can actually pay even that, though. And we can’t do any plumbing that is not critical. 

I was trying to get a job and now that is tabled. My dd and I were considering doing an online paralegal certification. It finishes in August, so hopefully, it would help both of us secure work after the situation calms down. 

Ds20 worked at a country club and cannot do that now. Dd22 was a nanny and she cannot do that now. Obv she cannot teach English in Europe now. 

Dd’s bf works in computer science and already did a lot of WAH hours, so fortunately, his job is intact. 

My BIL is a chef and he is not working now. My niece and nephew built a magnificent event facility; this is a severe hardship for them. The weddings, proms, etc. They had on the books cancelled. I think a couple of weddings modified it but most didn’t want to pay (well, I wouldn’t either!) for a nice facility if most of the guests would be there remotely. Another niece is an event planner; I’m not sure what has happened with her bookings. 

Edited April 7, 2020 by Quill
Typo that affected my meaning

[teachermom2834]

My 19 yo ds is set to graduate college in December 2020. He works for a Major League Baseball team and he hoped to go on there full time after graduation. He abruptly lost his job when spring training was cancelled and who knows when that will come back or how his position will be impacted.

My 21 yo ds is set to graduate in May. He has had a really good job lined up since September that is supposed to start in the fall. He had been driving Uber Eats and had a job coaching a travel baseball team lined up through the summer. Uber Eats has dried up, the baseball job is off. His job offer for the fall is still on as of now but we are all mentally preparing for that to get pulled.

Dh works for a utility. He is working from home but we are preparing for furlough. The demand on the corporate side is way down and people aren’t necessarily paying their utility bills. The local utilities all said they would not shut off power (which is great) but of course down the line there are consequences when bills aren’t paid.

 

[fairfarmhand]

Oldest dd works at a fast food restaurant and she’s still working full time. Her dh works at a grocery store and his job is fine too. Dsil is set to graduate this spring, dd in the fall, and nobody has talked about post graduation plans. 

 

dd18 worked part time as a hostess at a tea shop. She’s not worked for almost a month now but if the shop can weather the storm, she’ll go back when they reopen. 
 

dh works as an engineer in wastewater, so his job and income is pretty safe. Thankfully. 

dd18 has toyed with the idea of working at the same water dept as my dh and this pandemic has sealed it for her. She’s an anxious person and craves security.

[Wheres Toto]

Dh's company is still paying everyone.   Most are working from home, the lab employees have the option of staying home since someone has an immediate relative who tested positive (we are in a very active COVID area).    He has at least one project to work on from home writing reports and as long as their client wants them to continue, they will continue operating.

My business is shut down for the duration.  I taught live science classes to homeschoolers.  I can't really do online since the hands-on messy was the main point of my classes.   We can manage until September if dh's job stays intact.

Oldest dd was furloughed.  She should have a job to go back to if the company survives (national clothing stores).  Her boyfriend is a civilian police officer on a military research facility so he's still working his normal shifts. 

[Jann in TX]

My oldest dd was furloughed from her studio job (benefits so far by no pay)-- she is a photographer.

Thankfully she is a minimalist and owns a modest garden home with very low mortgage.  She was able to rent a room to a displaced college student for what her mortgage payment was.  The stimulus check will tide her over for a few months and she has a modest savings so she is OK.

[Just Kate]

I’ve posted about this here recently, but my dh worked in oil/gas and he lost his job. He is looking for employment in another field because we feel that it will be a long time before that industry will turn around and he could get a job there. I work, but only part-time, and his income made up about 75% of our household income. So this is terrible for us. Of course, we went though a similar thing during the last recession. At that time, dh was working in a crappy sales job and he was laid off. We lost a ton then, as we had no savings. Thankfully, we have some savings this time. 

[Soror]

My husband's employer is open as it is classified as essential business but most employees are sent home for lack of work. They are limited as to what they can make and how many can be there during SIP and COVID has cut their orders and suppliers. He's been told he will receive a 25% paycut for 1-2 months, however he had recently received a 11% raise so it won't be as noticeable to us. He was also told they are cutting their company match on 401K. We have no mortgage or other debts and our expenses are low enough to live off of this cut.

Although, he is in an industry (manufacturing) that isn't directly related to all of this the company has been struggling for awhile anyway. I am not surprised there are cuts, In the end we won't be surprised if they go under but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. All of that is why dh has went back to college nearly 2 yrs ago, to increase his employ-ability in case they do go under.

I've been teaching ESL online for the last 19 months for some extra money and security because of the uncertainty of dh's job and that has not been affected at all. Luckily, we've not had to use my money so it has been used for projects and extras (like our European vaca last year). We should be able to continue to get by without having to use my pay but it is nice to know it is there if we need it.

 

[TheReader]

We're feeling more or less fortunate at the moment, yet acknowledging things could change (DH is in oil field....). 

As of now, he has not been paid the bonus that he earned for last year's performance, and likely will not be paid it. Which sucks, but is a far smaller loss than what many are suffering and what we could be facing. Fortunately, we never count the bonus as going towards the budget, just towards extras. This year we were hoping to use it to replenish the savings after paying our oldest's medical bills (from his hospitalization in January), but again, could be worse. 

We assume it will be a year w/o raises as well. 

They've just begun requiring that all the folks working from home use one vacation day per week, for the next 5 wks at least, in order to help with things. The employees are still being paid that way, but it comes from the vacation pay column rather than the daily operating column, or something like that. So, he will use up a week of vacation, which for him is not too bad (he had some saved up), and again, could be much worse.  

Many of the oil field companies are furloughing, laying off, etc. He hears daily of someone new that was let go or furloughed, so, like I said, we are feeling grateful in the midst of this. We also know things may get worse before they get better. We're prepared/preparing for that just in case.

[SKL]

My personal job is not affected as far as workload.

However, as a business owner invested in various real estate (including a hotel and 3 event centers), this will hit pretty hard.  We have always operated on a slim margin.  We are going to see if we can get some of the relief aid as we continue to have expenses.  However, due to unavoidable timing issues, it may be limited.

The way I get paid has nothing to do with whatever work I do.  I basically get enough money to pay taxes and a little more.  On the positive side, I don't have many personal expenses coming up.  And I'm really glad we did not decide to travel last summer and winter.  I'm also glad I didn't decide to put my kids into the expensive Lutheran high school.  So there are many mitigating factors here.

[gardenmom5]

dh is doing well, busier than normal this time of year.

my kids are generally doing well. 

1dd's company . . was forced to  shut down. - now it will be Jul 1 (at least - assuming there isn't another extension) before they can resume service. their c-levels took a 20%?30% pay cut. they did a couple rounds of laying people off - and she was laid off. (one of four in her round).  they plan on having their german owner do their IT. from Germany.  (she was looking before this happened, and interviewed at three different companies last week. - she has a 3rd/final interview coming up with one of them.)

2dd is a hospital pharmacist - so she's actually working an additional shift.  (she normally has only worked one shift a week since the baby.)   Dsil is working from home. His job is safe for now.

1ds - is glad he's working on a MS, as he's not sure he'd still have a job if he'd started working this year.  Many summer internships in his field have been cancelled.   his classes were already online, and it was easy to change to an online format for his weekly meeting with his professor.

2ds is now working from home.  someone in his building (not office suite) has it, so the building is closed. and tax day got moved to July, so their normal april rush is now non-existent.

Edited April 7, 2020 by gardenmom5

[Rachel]

My husband’s company has laid off some people, 27 in his division of 400. Everyone else has a 10%-15% pay cut going into effect at the end of the month. Overall considering the size of his company it could be much worse. It’s hard to say if this is due to coronavirus or the oil price battle between Russia and Saudi Arabia though. I’m just thankful he has a job right now, it could be so much worse.
 

My SIL is in another state, her hours have been reduced by 25% and will likely see an additional 25% cut soon.  They had to lay off many people at her nonprofit, she said it keeps her up at night even though those workers were able to be paid for a month and will qualify for unemployment.
 

None of my other family members have had job loss or pay cuts, yet. 

[JustEm]

Dh made a career change in January and that decision really saved us during this. Everyone at his previous job was laid off the second non-essential businesses were closed. So, we are down some income because he still worked there a few hours a week just because he wanted to keep teaching martial arts.

But his new job seems pretty secure. The CEO of the company publicly announced there would be no lay offs during this. And they've actually increased overtime pay to double pay. So, at the moment dh is working extra to sock money away in case the economy tanks enough for them to have to do lay offs eventually.

I will likely lose all my pet sitting jobs for the summer, which is a few thousand dollars, which will suck but will just mean less money goes to savings. 

 

[alisoncooks]

DH works with a nonprofit that serves university students (has for the last 15 years). So while the npo hasn't laid anyone off (they won't), there isn't a guarantee that they'll be able to pay DH if donations take a downturn (they probably will).  Donations come from churches and individuals (often alumni); I know many local churches are already struggling to pay bills with the congregation not meeting in person. 😞

[mom2scouts]

Oldest ds and ddil work in computer programming/security for a large company and are still working at home. DS2 was finishing college and working part time. He lost his job and went to online classes which don't work well since he needs a lab. His SO works as a computer programmer and is still employed at home. DS3 is still working for a cell installer and is considered an essential employee. His wife is a teacher and is still employed but teaches a subject that's difficult to teach from home. DH is still working at home for now, but he works for a tiny company (5 people) that will be negatively affected by a bad economy.

[Slache]

My husband does rideshare and makes 1/5 what he was making, but we're in quarantine, so we'll see.

[May]

DH is a retired military chaplain so our income is guaranteed each month. It’s more then enough for us to live on. Our only debt is our mortgage, which isn’t a problem. Our youngest daughter works for a military contractor. It’s a work from home position, helping military members who are transitioning out of the service. She deals with resume writing. She’s still working but not as many hours. Her DH is a navy helicopter pilot, so they have that guaranteed income. I don’t know all the details of their financial life but she doesn’t  seem stressed about money. Oldest DD is a SLP, who went from salaried to hourly. She said she’s doing ok, enough parents want teletherapy, so money is coming in. She said she has about 2 months of living expenses saved. If this last pass that, she’ll need some assistance which we would provide. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. My heart hurts for the many who have lost their jobs, the small businesses that will never come back😢

 

[math teacher]

Dh works in a tire manufacturing facility and has been furloughed for two weeks, with at least 2 more weeks to go. I will be paid through August at my current job. 

[lewelma]

Yesterday I heard on the news that 1.1 million people were currently on wage support here in NZ.  That is out of a labor force of 2.6 million. Yes, that is above 40%. 

[Rachel]

3 hours ago, Math teacher said:

Dh works in a tire manufacturing facility and has been furloughed for two weeks, with at least 2 more weeks to go. I will be paid through August at my current job. 

I’m sorry!

We have a large car manufacturer in our area that directly employs 10,000 people. That plant is shut down through the end of April. Many people like my neighbor have plenty of PTO to help out financially, but eventually that will run out.

I haven’t heard about all the area feeder plants in the news, but I assume they are also shut down by default.  This affects so many people!

[Melissa in Australia]

Ds16 the busnss he worked for had to close, all workers are layed off. The TAFE is closed atm and looksike it will move to online. He is really down about it

Dd20, unmoved to online so she came home. Her 1 day week job is cancelled she was looking after a medically fragile child once a week

Ds 22 is an essential worker

Ds23 I'll have his contract end end May. 

Ds 26 work is considered vital to the country he is still working. In his spare time he is 3D printing face shield and ventilater parts

All the professionals and respite workers for the twins are suspended for the moment

Edited April 7, 2020 by Melissa in Australia

[LarlaB]

I’ve posted already here on WTM so forgive me if you’ve already read but popping in again...

We are small business and 70% down in the tourism/rental income. Small insurance agency stands unaffected.   We are working with accountant towards SBA loan for the non performing business. A long long long process starting with 2019 taxes needing to be done ASAP.   Not sure it will even be approved or worth the effort. Taxes for 3 businesses is not fun.  

We have each applied for several jobs in essential work.  Nothing. But I have had 2 phone interviews for long term director/coordinator positions (non profit and 4 practitioner office currently non essential, so not open).   So I’m optimistic for just the call backs. Huge step for the future but nothing for the short term. 

 

[Hilltopmom]

Dawn, I was going to try to switch districts for next fall to get into the district my little kids go to (the hours match much better- right now I’ll need 2 hours of daycare in the morning before school next year). But I think NY schools will be in for some Huge budget cuts and I don’t want to be the last one hired/ first one let go.

They are supposed to be creating a new position (that I once filled for them from an outside agency) & the admin wants me to apply, but I can see them deciding not to add new faculty members right now. 

Dh is an engineer type person at a company that makes... wait for it.. toilet paper. So we think he’s good for now.

Ds is coding remotely from home for a DOD contractor- fingers crossed those contracts don’t dry up. 

Edited April 8, 2020 by Hilltopmom

[Jenny in Florida]

My son and his girlfriend, both performers at a local dinner theatre, were laid off when all the restaurants and bars closed. We're forgoing the token amount of rent they pay us until they have income flowing again. Otherwise, their expenses are pretty low. My son is using this time to get an Etsy shop he's been planning up and running and to work on stockpiling inventory. 

My daughter, who has been independent in NYC for a few years now, is still working, although things are a little tenuous. She works for a teeny company that puts on fan conventions and similar events, all of which have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. They are hanging on for now and determinedly looking forward, but, of course, how things actually turn out will depend on how long things go on and how bad they get. She has been working remote for a few weeks. (She's angry at me at the moment and not communicating with me directly. So I have this info only through my husband.)

My husband has been working remote since mid-March, but got confirmation yesterday of what we've pretty much assumed since last week, that he will be furloughed as of 4/19. His employer will continue our health insurance, and cover the portion of the premiums we usually pay, as well as a few other benefits. He's got a nice bank of vacation/sick leave/PTO he could use to delay the official date of furlough and stretch out regular paychecks, but we're planning not to use them now. Between regular unemployment and the supplemental payments and some savings we can draw on, we are in better shape to weather this one than we have been any of the previous times his employer has turned our lives upside down. And this way, if it turns out he doesn't get taken back on for any reason, we'll have those few weeks of salary to assist with that transition.

For the moment, my job seems okay. I work for a company that produces and delivers eLearning, so we are well positioned to get through this. In fact, the CEO had an all-hands video meeting last week and announced that they have decided to pay a small bonus to all employees whose salaries are below a certain threshold. It doesn't apply to me, but it's nice to know I work for a company that wants to help and that we are doing well enough to let them do so. We transitioned to 100% remote work a couple of weeks ago, which I hate, although I'm of course grateful the job is still there. My salary is still a drop in the bucket compared to my husband's, but it will feel more significant once his weekly income diminishes to unemployment levels.

So we'll just have to see where things go from here.

[Guest]

DH’s company cut salaries by a %-the higher you were, the more you got cut, with the top group taking cuts of 50% and the CEO taking a complete salary cut (but those top folks also have stock options). DH is at the lower end of who lost money. So we lost some there. His company is considered essential, and in fact various government orders are requiring quick modifications on their side, but over half of their customer base is now shuttered for the duration, so the money coming in is reduced. 
 

I have not been paid for my Spring semester lessons at all-about the time I should have gotten a check for the first half of the semester, the center closed, and no idea when/if I will get paid again. I took my students online, and am extending a few weeks to give everyone a chance to figure out online, including me (I don’t feel right charging for a lesson that half of it is spent figuring out how to get cameras and microphones on). I hope some will be willing to pay for lessons online over the summer, since I am not expecting the city to reopen the center until schools reopen, and that likely won’t be before fall.  4 of my students aren’t going online, by parent choice, so I am assuming I am going to lose them at least until the center reopens, and possibly permanently, since the parents aren’t even taking already paid for lessons. (All four are young enough that they would need a parent to sit with them in a 1-1 lesson. I can’t really blame parents for deciding that piano isn’t worth it right now). 

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by dmmetler

[Cindy in FL.]

We have an eco-tourism business, which is completely closed down. It is a family run business, so not only do the employees (our 4 sons, dh, and me) not get paid, but there is no income and there are bills to pay. Our sons, 3 still in college, are all home, which is nice, but the grocery bill is crazy. Dh has another business, which is considered essential at this time, with three employees, but revenue is way down and will continue to decline. We can bide our time with the tourism business since the overhead is fairly low, but if the shutdown goes on too long, the effects on our other business could have serious ramifications.

[AngieW in Texas]

On 4/8/2020 at 7:47 AM, Hilltopmom said:

Dawn, I was going to try to switch districts for next fall to get into the district my little kids go to (the hours match much better- right now I’ll need 2 hours of daycare in the morning before school next year). But I think NY schools will be in for some Huge budget cuts and I don’t want to be the last one hired/ first one let go.

 

I'm in the same boat. I have been at my current district for four years. There are only two teachers who have been there less time than me. I applied in the district where I live because I'm spending $120/month just on tolls to get to the school district where I teach. But I don't want to be the last hired/first fired either. I had no qualms about it before COVID. 

[ktgrok]

DH will be taking a 20% pay cut and going to 4 days a week later this month. Could go to 40% cut if things continue, we will see. Honestly, not sure what the long term outlook is - he is in cybersecurity but works for a tourism/hospitality company right now. So...yeah. 

He also teaches part time at a college, and has been working MORE than normal there to help get their classes online. so that helps some. 

DS was supposed to start a new job March 30th at a vet clinic but they have pushed it off until who knows when. He'd already quit his old job, and even if he hadn't, they probably arent' working now. 

[DawnM]

On 4/8/2020 at 8:47 AM, Hilltopmom said:

Dawn, I was going to try to switch districts for next fall to get into the district my little kids go to (the hours match much better- right now I’ll need 2 hours of daycare in the morning before school next year). But I think NY schools will be in for some Huge budget cuts and I don’t want to be the last one hired/ first one let go.

They are supposed to be creating a new position (that I once filled for them from an outside agency) & the admin wants me to apply, but I can see them deciding not to add new faculty members right now. 

Dh is an engineer type person at a company that makes... wait for it.. toilet paper. So we think he’s good for now.

 🤣🤣🤣  That is great! 

Ds is coding remotely from home for a DOD contractor- fingers crossed those contracts don’t dry up. 

 

7 hours ago, AngieW in Texas said:

I'm in the same boat. I have been at my current district for four years. There are only two teachers who have been there less time than me. I applied in the district where I live because I'm spending $120/month just on tolls to get to the school district where I teach. But I don't want to be the last hired/first fired either. I had no qualms about it before COVID. 

 

You guys are thinking like I am then.  Thankfully, I can still change schools within my district and I do hope to get closer to home for next year, but I keep thinking that at least I have a job right now.  I am a school counselor, but if things really got bad and they cut counselors, I do have my English and ESL credentials to fall back on if necessary.

Our district happens to be down about 10-12 counselors right now if they don't cut positions.  And that isn't counting anyone leaving at the end of this year.  So, I am hopeful that even if they cut positions, they would just shuffle the "surplus" to the schools who need them.

 

[AmandaVT]

We're doing ok - DH is a therapist and moved his clients to an online platform in early March. He saw a dip in attendance for the first week or so, but things are leveling out now. 

I am a special educator, and am still working full time, just remotely. My other job is for the counseling company doing billing and also editing for psychological evaluations. The billing side is fine, but the editing side of things is gone right now, so I took a 50% hit in income for that job. 

My mom works for the State and they're talking about furloughs coming - hopefully just 2x/month to start. Her husband is a contractor and has lost all income. If they need financial help, we should be able to help them if all things remain the same for us.

[TX Native]

Nm

Edited May 5, 2020 by TX Native