How many people do you know who have lost their jobs due to the economic downturn?

[Tree House Academy]

Just curious. This seems to be an everyday things now for us. Each day, I talk to someone else whose dh has lost their job or whose dh is in danger of losing his job. None of us are "safe" anymore, it seems.

 

I was counting tonight and I can name 10 people off the top of my head who have lost jobs in the last 3 months alone. :(

[Melissa in NC]

So far, just one. Another family has been unemployed for over a year. It will get much worse since I am in Charlotte with Bank of America and Wachovia.

[Wyndie]

Oh gosh, I know several. I work part time and all of us at our company had to take pay cuts. Mine was 50% but it was voluntary, not sure how much others were cut. In Charleston, SC it seems everyone is losing their jobs. My husband was supposed to retire from the military in 2 months and he decided to stay in b/c it's just too scary to get out in the real world with jobs falling thru daily.

[battlemaiden]

Not a single person. Weird, huh? Even my 74 yo father is working beyond full time. He's a civil engineer. My extended family is all good.

[mamaof2andtwins]

I don't know anyone personally, but I know of friends of friends or children of friends that have lost their jobs.

 

Jennie

[Sarah CB]

I don't know anyone who has lost a job, but my sister's boyfriend is trying to diversify his job. He's a real estate agent and now he's taking on some investment advisor work as well due to the slow down in real estate.

[Michelle T]

He works at Countrywide (now Bank of America) and several people in his office have been let go.

Michelle T

[Erica in PA]

Just curious. This seems to be an everyday things now for us. Each day, I talk to someone else whose dh has lost their job or whose dh is in danger of losing his job. None of us are "safe" anymore, it seems.

 

I was counting tonight and I can name 10 people off the top of my head who have lost jobs in the last 3 months alone. :(

 

There are at least 10 families at our co-op who have lost their main source of income in the last six months. I know of around 4-5 families at our church. It's happening a lot around here.

[Rose in BC]

His hours will be cut during the month of May and June and then we just hope things will return to normal. He has worked at his job for 20+ years. This is the first time we're facing a possible job cut.

[Hillary in KS]

None.

 

I think it may depend which part of the country you're in. In my state unemployment is still under 5%.

 

Also, unemployment was higher in 1982. (1979-1983. Remember those years? Ugh!) I think that this recession seems worse because we now have multiple news channels operating 24/7. It magnifies our sense of how bad things are.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

My husband will be losing his job any day. His employer keeps miraculously finding one more day's work, God bless him! But we know it is over. Nothing in the wings, four children, no equity, one month's money in the bank. He's in construction, and all the jobs were canceled due to the recession.

[Audrey]

None.

 

I think it may depend which part of the country you're in. In my state unemployment is still under 5%.

 

Also, unemployment was higher in 1982. (1979-1983. Remember those years? Ugh!) I think that this recession seems worse because we now have multiple news channels operating 24/7. It magnifies our sense of how bad things are.

 

 

Quite true. My province has nearly the lowest unemployment in Canada, hovering just around the 4.5% mark. In the first 2 months of 2009, we actually increased a net of 5,300 jobs (+.6 full-time; +2.1 part-time).

 

I can recite you all these facts and more (but won't bore you) because I work in a department that is closely related to labour. We keep seeing more people coming into the province who have been laid off in other provinces, and they ARE finding work here. Lay-offs here are mostly in mining in the north, but to be honest, those were coming a long time before this mess. Some manufacturers are doing some lay-offs, but most are trying to hedge their bets with work slow-downs instead, so they don't lose their good people.

 

We're weathering the economic storm remarkably well here, but you wouldn't know it to listen to the panickers and the doom & gloom news. No one ever notices us here anyway. We're just that flat place you fly over on your way from Toronto to Vancouver. ;)

[Hillary in KS]

We're weathering the economic storm remarkably well here, but you wouldn't know it to listen to the panickers and the doom & gloom news. No one ever notices us here anyway. We're just that flat place you fly over on your way from Toronto to Vancouver. ;)

 

Hey! Us too! We're the flat place you fly over on your way from New York to Los Angeles! :D

[Tree House Academy]

I would say location does have a lot to do with things. I have more friends whose dhs' have taken paycuts. My husband's old employer cut salaried employees by 20%. The other former employer closed its doors completely.

[cathmom]

My mom and my friend's mom lost their jobs (they both worked for Indy Mac). My mom can't find anything - it's close to a year since she found out. She has to work if she can, but I can't imagine looking for a job at age 70.

 

And my dear friend Drama Queen and her dh lost their business.

[sassenach]

Six off the top of my head, but most of them are in Florida. I'm sure I'm forgetting at least 1 or 2 people.

[momof165]

I can name at least 6 including dh.

 

Sonja

[Danestress]

I think everyone in Charlotte knows people who have been laid off if the banking industry.

 

We have friends from church who were unemployed until this week. I have a friend who had to close her business. DH's firm has had some lay-offs (and two pay cuts).

[Dobela]

Both of my BIL in 2 different industries and 2 different states have lost their jobs. My dh almost lost his but his employer decided that he would first cut benefits as an effort to keep dh working- so now we have no health insurance. Several people at our church have lost jobs but most ot them are related to construction somehow - engineers, architects, painters... Our town is very dependent on tourism so I feel that the worst will come after summer.

[TravelingChris]

We are new to this area and I know that one man in our new member's class had lost his job but his wife has a job and they are okay for now. He was in recycling amd the demand for recycled materials has dropped.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Only one - the dh of our neighbor. He was a bank manager so it is difficult finding work in his field right now.

[Nestof3]

Honestly? None. I do know one man who is changing jobs -- to a better one by his choice.

 

I have heard of several in my brother's bank -- Banc of America Securities -- who have lost jobs, but no one I know personally.

[KristineinKS]

None.

 

I think it may depend which part of the country you're in. In my state unemployment is still under 5%.

 

Also, unemployment was higher in 1982. (1979-1983. Remember those years? Ugh!) I think that this recession seems worse because we now have multiple news channels operating 24/7. It magnifies our sense of how bad things are.

 

We're in KS too & I know of at least five people, DH included, that have lost their jobs. All but one were in senior-level professional positions, so maybe that makes a difference but certainly it seems that no one around here is hiring, which is bad. I work in health care, which I always thought was semi-safe, but recently found out that my company is planning on cut-backs as well. Frankly it's pretty depressing.

[Hillary in KS]

We're in KS too & I know of at least five people, DH included, that have lost their jobs. All but one were in senior-level professional positions, so maybe that makes a difference but certainly it seems that no one around here is hiring, which is bad. I work in health care, which I always thought was semi-safe, but recently found out that my company is planning on cut-backs as well. Frankly it's pretty depressing.

 

I'm not in KS anymore. (My moniker says I am, but I haven't been able to change it.)

 

But, until last summer we lived for 4 years in Topeka. I don't know of anyone there who's out of work, either. Emporia lost many jobs (50 min. south), but those were lost over a year ago.

 

My dh was/is in manufacturing, though. I know he's currently hiring line workers. But it's hard to find people who are both willing and able to do line work.

 

Where are you? Are you in Wichita or KC? Or somewhere else?

Edited April 4, 2009 by Hillary in KS

[JoyfulMama]

My DH has been really blessed. The company he left 14 mo ago laid off two entire shifts (over 200 people). None of his previos co-workers have jobs. The company he then worked for has also cut way back, and they most likely will close. The company he is with now did some layoffs, and they are closely watching hours, but see a light maybe as early as May.

We thought it was a horrible year in many ways, but are glad we've ended up where we are.

Two companies are on the east coast, one in the mid-west.

[Rose in BC]

Quite true. My province has nearly the lowest unemployment in Canada, hovering just around the 4.5% mark. In the first 2 months of 2009, we actually increased a net of 5,300 jobs (+.6 full-time; +2.1 part-time).

 

I can recite you all these facts and more (but won't bore you) because I work in a department that is closely related to labour. We keep seeing more people coming into the province who have been laid off in other provinces, and they ARE finding work here. Lay-offs here are mostly in mining in the north, but to be honest, those were coming a long time before this mess. Some manufacturers are doing some lay-offs, but most are trying to hedge their bets with work slow-downs instead, so they don't lose their good people.

 

We're weathering the economic storm remarkably well here, but you wouldn't know it to listen to the panickers and the doom & gloom news. No one ever notices us here anyway. We're just that flat place you fly over on your way from Toronto to Vancouver. ;)

 

I told my dh today we should just sell it all and start over . . . dh is 47 so he didn't really see this as a great option. I guess we'll wait and see what happens here.

[anewday]

3

[Kay in Cal]

I know quite a few... maybe a dozen. But I know a lot of people IRL!

[Tap]

A lot more than I realize.

 

 

We are on the boarder between Oregon and Washington.

Oregon's unemployment rate for Feb was 10.8 Washington's was 8.4...both are still growing.

 

I find out all the time about a friend or friend's dh who has been laid off, downscaled in hours or pay, asked to retire, or let go due to companies closing.

 

My company cut back work hours by 20% in my position. I wasn't effected but a lot of my friend's were.

[momee]

DH :(

 

This month and that's it. He's trying to start his own business and is working in our schoolroom with us.

 

Upside - no discipline issues at all this week :)

Pray for us if you would. Scary time but it'll all work for the best, I know.

 

We do know others here also. More workers competing for fewer jobs makes it really tough.

[G5052]

One is a structural engineer, the other was a marketing manager who has a teaching certificate. The structural engineer is having a very hard time, the marketing manager is getting some interest for teaching jobs, but she says that even teaching jobs are very competitive these days. Both have part-time employment, but are just barely making it.

[The Girls' Mom]

My father, and my brother have both been out of work for months. Since last fall at least. My dad was a faux finisher for a painting company that went under. My brother was a factory worker. We also have two friends that work for their dad's construction company, and although they aren't jobless, their work has slowed dramatically.

[Renee in NC]

None.

 

I think it may depend which part of the country you're in. In my state unemployment is still under 5%.

 

Also, unemployment was higher in 1982. (1979-1983. Remember those years? Ugh!) I think that this recession seems worse because we now have multiple news channels operating 24/7. It magnifies our sense of how bad things are.

 

Here in NC, unemployment is higher now than in the 80s. However, in IA where my dh is from (and his father and brothers still live) unemployment is 5%.

[Renee in NC]

My mom and my friend's mom lost their jobs (they both worked for Indy Mac). My mom can't find anything - it's close to a year since she found out. She has to work if she can, but I can't imagine looking for a job at age 70.

 

And my dear friend Drama Queen and her dh lost their business.

 

And we know other people.

 

My father works for a city near here and his dept. has cut 6 jobs (only 3 were filled.)

 

Our two employees were laid off - one found a job that he HATES (they work him into the ground and require massive amounts of overtime at their whim.) The other hasn't found anything, but he is mostly disabled.

 

Another friend lost his job, but has recently found another.

 

My mother (in FL) has gone from 12 employees to 2. She helped most of them find other jobs, though.

 

We know lots of people who were/are self-employed and they are STRUGGLING (construction and landscaping.) Most have laid off the majority of their employees and are just hanging on until things get better. Others are like us and looking for jobs.

[Renee in NC]

A couple more thoughts.

 

There has been a HUGE drop in wages. In 2001, laborers were making $10 an hour, some even $12. This is day-labor. Now? Everything is $7-8 an hour, with an occasional $9 an hour thrown in. $16,640 a year.

 

There are plenty of people looking, so companies can be very, very picky.

 

Big employers are now doing credit checks - bad credit can keep you from getting a job. You have to give permission for them to check your credit, but if you don't give permission, they won't even consider you.

[cathmom]

A couple more thoughts.

 

 

 

Big employers are now doing credit checks - bad credit can keep you from getting a job. You have to give permission for them to check your credit, but if you don't give permission, they won't even consider you.

 

which is just ridiculous!!! makes me mad!!!

[Renee in NC]

which is just ridiculous!!! makes me mad!!!

 

It's because people with low credit scores are considered less reliable and more likely to steal. What it doesn't take in to consideration is that my dh's credit score was 300 points higher a year ago.:tongue_smilie: He's reliable and doesn't steal. If he had a job, he could pay his bills!:glare:

 

Okay, enough of the depressing topics today.

[Vida Winter]

Quite a few. My rural area has had high unemployment for years due to cutbacks in logging. When the economy started going bad, unemployment was already around 10%. It's now up around 18%.

[KatieJ]

Here in Michigan unemployment is reported to be the highest in the nation, close to 18 percent. I can think of 10 families, in some cases husband and wife who have been affected. The auto industry, banking and the furniture industry are the main ones, but many others as well. We also know many who taking pay cuts this spring. On a brighter note, apparently things are starting to turn around a little. The paper reports that there is a boon in the housing market with sales in the past month higher than in the past two years.

[TraceyS/FL]

A few..... it's not a good area. And then you have my STBXH who "quit" is job for about 3 weeks last month. Real smart in this economy dude.... (and I wasn't asked, i was told, he is still living here and responsible for the household).

[NCMom]

Unemployment in this county was 16% in February, so you bet we know some out of work people. Our closest neighbor is one. By now the number is much higher since the two largest remaining factories here have closed.

 

My dh's team laid off 2 weeks ago. They had 8 guys on their team and now one is gone. :sad:

 

Just this past week, the co my sister works for in NH laid off many people, including people we knew from when we lived there. She was reassigned. Some of those let go had worked there for over 30 years...

 

Soup kitchen activity (just in the one our friends run) has tripled since August of last year.

 

Something to think about,

Georgia

[Guest Katia]

IRL I don't know of anyone out of a job.And I have asked those I do know, and they do not know anyone out of a job either. However, a lot of those people are farmers and while it gets really, really hard for them.....they don't really 'loose' their job, kwim? Just their income. sigh.

 

My dh was hired on to a full-time job in Feb. He hasn't had a full-time job in years and years. Now we actually have health insurance!! We are SO excited! I keep hoping it will last.....he was the last person hired on before a hiring freeze was put in place......and there is a pay-raise freeze at least through 2010. So it's not all peachy-keen.

 

But I do think it has to do with your location.

[AmyP]

My DH didn't lose his job due to the economy, but two years (and three surgeries) ago his arm was broken. He wasn't cleared to go back to work for a year and a half, which was six months after he was finally replaced. He is a water plant operator, and I'm grateful the city he worked for let him stay on so long, at least we had insurance.

 

However, after six months of looking the best thing he has found is delivering pizzas -- for which we are grateful. I love this man so much, and he is really taking an emotional beating over this.

 

On the bright side, (sort of :)) I started working again. I work with deaf students and if anything, there seems to be more work than a couple of years ago.

 

My good friend just lost her job as a parapro with the local school system and her husband lost his job at a warehouse. Another friend was out of work for six months, but recently found a better job than he had before, and my BIL just quit his job and took two others.

 

All this to say I'm not sure how bad things really are, but around here there is definitely more fear.

 

Amy

[Nestof3]

A couple more thoughts.

 

There has been a HUGE drop in wages. In 2001, laborers were making $10 an hour, some even $12. This is day-labor. Now? Everything is $7-8 an hour, with an occasional $9 an hour thrown in. $16,640 a year.

 

There are plenty of people looking, so companies can be very, very picky.

 

Big employers are now doing credit checks - bad credit can keep you from getting a job. You have to give permission for them to check your credit, but if you don't give permission, they won't even consider you.

 

My husband pays his helper $10 an hour -- lawn maintenance. He would pay more, but honestly, my husband pays according to ability and quality. He would surely pay more for an energetic, high-quality employee.

 

He has been hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't want to smoke on the job, who keeps his pants up, and doesn't have numerous excuses as to why he cannot make it to work that day. It's quite frustrating.

 

He had to tell his helper and their friends (he hired a couple of extra for a mulch job) the other day that they HAD to pull up their pants to where they should be and no more smoking except on their lunch break. He had to explain the importance of looking professional. My husband's customers love him -- he's fair, professional, etc. He refuses to run some shabby looking operation.

 

His helper is the same age as our eldest, has a pregnant girlfriend, a criminal driving record, asks for his paycheck early all the time, etc.

 

I don't understand how these young men think they are going to make it in a competitive age/world when they look like trash, waste their money, and have no goals.

[cathmom]

I don't understand how these young men think they are going to make it in a competitive age/world when they look like trash, waste their money, and have no goals.

 

I'm willing to bet they don't care about making it.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

My husband's company has laid off many people. Luckily he is the only one who does what he does. My sister's husband has been on rolling lay-offs for a couple months (3 weeks on, 1 week off), and his company has been laying off anyone who gives them the slightest excuse. Another friend's husband has been dealing with that as well. It looks like it is going to get much worse around here before it gets better...

[Renee in NC]

Deleted

 

Sorry, bad response.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Renee in FL

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Hmmm. I just looked at Oregon's unemployment rate. Feb 2008 it was 5.4%. Feb 2009......... 10.8%. I'm guessing March will be much higher. Fun times.

[Vida Winter]

Hmmm. I just looked at Oregon's unemployment rate. Feb 2008 it was 5.4%. Feb 2009......... 10.8%. I'm guessing March will be much higher. Fun times.

 

It varies quite a bit by county. I'm enclosing a link which has data that's already old but you can see where the worst areas are. I am surprised that so much of northern CA is in a bad way.

 

http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/twmcort.pdf

[Cricket]

Dh lost his job and we know two others who have. The two others were in the construction industry. Dh sold RVs.