[bluetoad]

I wonder if this thread will get pulled? All is well....

[riri]

Wow

[Gary Boldwater]

I hope to make money marketing bumper stickers with the slogan:

"I'm unemployed and I vote!"

[templar]

"The sharp increase in job cuts last month should serve as a warning that it is premature to conclude that the quick end to the war in Iraq will bring a quick turnaround in the economy and job market,"...

Perhaps a quick end to NAFTA and GATT might bring about that quick turnaround.

I'm sure the Free Traders will have other explanations, though.

[waterstraat]

We still need to bring in 2 million foreigners to fill american jobs thru the H1-B and L-1 visa programs. No one is considering or even giving a thought to either cutting back or suspending the hiring of foreigners to take american jobs. If americans were "really" out of work and wanted jobs, then bush would suspend the H1-B visa programs immediately.

We still need to immigrate 57,000 more legals each week to fill jobs, and another 57,000 illegals have to sneak in to fill the other jobs that americans will not take.

[Friend of thunder]

Forty-five percent of companies surveyed expected to trim their workforces.

This is a bit troubling; it is hard to believe that 45% of all companies are overstaffed. There are, of course, incredible pressures – especially on publicly traded companies – to cut costs. It is possible to cut too drastically and, when demand grows, the capacity to fill that that demand does not exist. Not to mention the fact that higher unemployment close to the election will almost certainly favor the Democrats.

[newgeezer]

U.S. pink slips jump 71 percent

Democrats gleeful (though outwardly "deeply saddened").

[Mears]

Both of my daughters lost their jobs in the past two years.

They both have MBA's and worked hard for 15 years and then got laid off. Both are working again at 1/2 their former salaries.

There is a lot of anger out there,not so much that jobs are being lost,that happens,but that good jobs are being shipped overseas.

[Centurion2000]

bump .. labor has a chance to make some significant gains ..... corporations are screwing up in the long term for good short term gains.

[Light Speed]

A comment concerning net working and new citizens.

Here in Calgary,Alberta Canada..we have a long history of oil patch relationship with U.S...so the money flows at times,drawing small business.

In my community..there are many from Lebanon,they work in the steel fab shops..some..but more are owner/operators.

So one guy drives a cab...and you find him at his buddies ..who owns a barber shop[Lebanese are pretty good Barbers]..then there is the grocery store[Lebanese]..and hey..there's that cab driver again.

Then a donair shop..and hey...the cab driver guy again.

They all network...support each other..send business each others way...

They succeed in business.

The Newly citizenized from India...same dynamic..with a add on as they will also manage a Liquor store.

[lelio]

Eddie Bauer's closing down a call center near Seattle. Writeup here. I'm not sure where a call center rep is going to work next, as unemployment around here is pretty high. 365 jobs lost there, and 180 in their corporate HQ in Redmond.
Workers at the call center got 60 day notices, as required by the WARN act. At the HQ they aren't required to give notices, so those people were told on Monday and are out the door on Friday. Nice company.

[Alberta's Child]

The Chicago-based recruitment company, which has tracked corporate layoff announcements on a daily basis since 1993, said Monday that 57,927 job cuts were in government . . .

I'm surprised that nobody has pointed out how this might actually be a good thing.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Interest rates will be dropping soon...Again....Bet the rent.

[Consort]

...and the pink slips are printed in China.

[dirtboy]

The Chicago-based recruitment company, which has tracked corporate layoff announcements on a daily basis since 1993, said Monday that 57,927 jobs cuts were in government, the largest single monthly toll in any sector since September 2001.

And this is bad news because? If we want to shrink government, soone or later it means some government workers will lose their jobs.

[dogbyte12]

My wife's district manager told her yesterday that she had to double the sale's plan in order to be able to pay out 1 more 8 hour shift to a near minimum wage assistant.

Her target is about $5,000 a week. She needs to sell $10,000 to get 8 more hours of help. It's a wonder I hardly ever see her. Could it be because she is on salary?

[biblewonk]

It's all Enron's fault. Now corporations have to show that they are losing money and the quickest solution to that is to cut staff, benefits, even vacation accrual(sp).

[TopDog2]

Obviously, these companies are only getting rid of the slacker buggy whip makers. This means that we are better off because those that aren't working can buy products more cheaply. Someone, somewhere, somehow will create a whole new paradigm that will give the US an edge over other countries. Those dismissed should go to school/start their own business/eat cake.