Unemployed Freepers?

Lucent to Cut 5,000 More Jobs - Source Thu Apr 11, 4:28 PM ET By Ben Klayman CHICAGO (Reuters) - Telecommunications equipment maker Lucent Technologies Inc. plans to cut about 5,000 more jobs than previously expected by the end of June because of the slowdown in the telecom sector, a source close to the company said on Thursday.

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Just got to thinking, with the economy supposedly recovering, and layoffs continuing all around us, how many Freepers are currently out of work? How are they finding the job market?

1 posted on 4/12/02 11:59 PM Pacific by SpyderTim [ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: SpyderTim

Luckily the coapany I worked for Did Good and accelerated my options when I was voluntarily laid off. Job market is pretty bad out there in high tech (programming). At one time or another 10 friends of mine were laid off this past year.

2 posted on 4/13/02 8:31 AM Pacific by lelio [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: SpyderTim

Just got to thinking, with the economy supposedly recovering, and layoffs continuing all around us, how many Freepers are currently out of work? How are they finding the job market?

Agreed. I know more people in the last year that have gotten laid off, and have remained laid off, than I do those who had no work and found it. This "recovery" is pure fabrication and spin pushed by the WH. The facts are that over half the new jobs created are being done by the government! GDP has increased primarily because of government spending!

3 posted on 4/13/02 8:35 AM Pacific by Kobyashi1942 [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Kobyashi1942

My company announced its office relocation way back in April of 2001. My last day was November 30. I've been networking and interviewing since then but haven't found quite what I'm looking for yet. It's not a bad job market if you know what you are doing, but it isn't as good as when I first graduate from college in 2000 either.

4 posted on 4/14/02 1:53 PM Pacific by SpyderTim [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

The programming industry is hiring lots of immigrants, and the auto companies are full of immigrants and H1-B visa people. Ive seen lots of american laid off, but very few immigrants are being laid off. In fact, I've seen visa status cited as a reason to not lay off someone on an H1B: "If we lay off Mahatma, he has to go home" - Of course, the unemployed American who can't feed his family is SOL.

The auto companies are run by morons.

They lay off the americans, and keep the immigrants, who mostly buy jap cars, not american cars. That is the reason why auto sales are still good for foreign sales in this country, but domestic autos are in a slump because the auto companies lay off the american that buys american cars.

I am convinced that we would all have jobs tomorrow if all the foreigners on H-1B visa's were sent home and the bill that increased the H-1B visa allotment to 200,000 per year was revoked by Congress. The real question is how to get Congress to do this. They do not appear to be interested in helping Americans.

If every laid off American called their representative every day and demanded this type of action we may have a chance of getting our jobs back.

The unemployment problem is a direct result of our representatives increasing the work force in America via the H-1B visa program.

Right you are. I've been saying the same for quite some time now. I work in the telecom sector as a senior developer. There are currently two Americans on my team, my manager and myself. The other 13 people are on visa from India as is most of the rest of the floor. When I go to work I feel like I am entering a foreign country, go to the lunchroom and you are lucky if you hear a single word spoken in english. I would love to be able to see the credentials of these visa holders as most of them are unable to perform their job duties without constant supervision and guidance. I believe this to be the only reason that I am still around. In fact my primary responsibility these days is to help these people and act as a mentor. I guess if they ever get up to speed that I'll be out the door, LOL! For most of them I don't see getting up to speed as coming very soon. Hopefully these companies will learn that they get what they pay for!

I worry day and night about losing my job, I will not be able to pay my mortgage if I have to make a sudden career change. I guess I better get on the paxil wagon! I know that I should have been living below my means but its too late to start taking that advice now...

BTW: I wrote my congressman and he never even bothered to reply. I write fairly frequently and I always get a written response back in the mail. Nothing at all back about this item, I think that they simply took my letter and trashed it! More than likely an intern on H1B status in Washington was tasked with reading the incoming mail and trashed it right away, LOL!
The rest of you in this situation need to start writing and calling until your representatives get the message. I'll write again tomorrow.

The tech market is gone... just a few years ago I was gettign job offers every week! Sometimes 2 or 3 a week, now nothing! It has very little to do with the economy and a whole heck of alot to do with H1B visas! Write your reps and let them hear it!

I think calling works better, (800) 648-3516 - to speak to any representative. I called the Labor Department, the person I spoke to told me that the data indicates that there is STILL a shortage of engineers in this country! No one has bothered to update the Department of Labor's data to reflect the dismal job market. So they KEEP processing H-1B's as if there was a shortage.
Every American engineer (even the ones with jobs) should call their representative and the local paper about this issue. It is clear that the engineers in America are slowly but surely being replaced by foreigners. The end result is that it will be harder and harder to find a job and the pay will become less and less. Even President Bush would like to see the H-1B visa issuing process speeded up.

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