Unemployed Freepers?

self | April 14, 2002 | self

[SpyderTim]

Lucent to Cut 5,000 More Jobs - Source Reuters | April 11, 2002 | Ben Klayman

Posted on 4/12/02 11:59 PM Pacific by SpyderTim

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.

See the link for the rest of the article.

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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!

Smoke and mirrors.

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 ]

[CWRWinger]

RE Post #18

Yes, and how many government employed Freepers freep on my time?

[sibb1213]

Sign up for unemployment until you get a job. You are entitled and it will help you until you find something. Sales is not all bad by the way, my husband and I spent many years in sales before our retirements. It can make you a good living if you are good at the job. Good luck.

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

My name can be added to the "Lost Telecom" Jobs. . .

I've been in it since Gema Caata was given the Oval Office and this is the first time that I too actually 'Look' for soemthing - as I've always had enough waiting offers to stave off any other downturns. . .

Thanks, again, William J. Blythe !! !!

[bandlength]

that depends on how "cost effective" it is. i agree that back in the 70's, the teamsters and all the automotive worker union members were turning out junk cars and demanding more pay for less work. that was wrong. but, not all immigrant workers have a work ethic anymore, whether that be in their native homeland or "imported" to work here.

back in the early 80's asians had a reputation for being hard workers. well, i'm here to tell you, that has all changed. from where i was working (which is an extremely "diverse" company), i saw quite the opposite. hispanic, asian, african-american employees, whether they were naturalized citizens or not, often goofed off to the umpth degree. was quite a source of friction amongst the other workers.

we had workers from siera leone that were quite inept, yet they had foreign language skills, so they were kept on. (there's nothing like getting the wrong information in your own native tongue)

we had vietnamese workers who chatted all day and were quite rude to customers (shocking, isn't it?) so it all depends. i think americans have done a great deal of waking up in realizing that we are indeed in a global economy and that companies WILL go elsewhere for the bottom line. it ain't the 70's anymore.

[fellowpatriot]

I contract in the automotive industry and you're right. We have a pet name for our building, we call it 'New West Delhi'. We've been hit three times in the last six months with pay cuts but I'm glad to still have a job.

[blueriver]

Here is my take on it - this is just my opinion and I may be wrong. In the years preceding 2001 there was a lot of venture capitol money being spent in the telecommunications industry. Companies were hiring workers far beyond their means to support them. Do to this non realistic demand there was a "shortage" of high tech workers. So corporate America lobbied Congress to increase the H-1B visa quota to an exorbitantly high number. Finally, reality set in and corporations realized they had made a big misjudgment on the work force they needed so they laid off millions of engineers. However, the H-1B quota remaines extremely high and most of the work force that was let go was Americans. (Not sure exactly why - it may be that companies felt reluctant to renege on visa contracts that they signed). The end result is that the employer now has a huge supply of workers for a very small number of available jobs. I don't think engineers are making too much money if you look at what the managers are making for doing much less work.

[fellowpatriot]

Sounds like they may have done you a favor if they were treating you like that.

[blueriver]

Why is it more cost effective to "out source" than it is to hire an American to do the job? Why is it more cost effective to set up a manufacturing facility in China than it is to set up a manufacturing facility here in America?

I think engineers in India make $10,000 a year. No one could live on that kind of salary in America. Most of the Indian engineers that I have worked with plan on taking all their American made money back to India so they can live like a king. I also read that China demanded that in order to manufacture a product in China American companies are required to do the R&D in China as well.

[ErnBatavia]

You know what? I'm turning 55 later this month; house in the Los Angeles area is for sale....have given notice at my job (good paying one, too), and will be moving to our second home in the Palm Springs area......I haven't lost a minutes sleep about getting a job out there (and yes, I WILL need one); I'm gonna go around and play the "experience card" - and I guarantee you I will not be a Walmart Blue Vester. I'll get myself a nice brain-dead job, 8-to-5 (no weekends or overtime, of course) and enjoy the next 20 years.

It's all confidence....and maybe just a bit of 'networking'......use what ya got, and go in with confidence.

I'll report in!!

[bandlength]

my theme song is tubthumping from chumbawumba

[bandlength]

experience card? there is no such thing anymore. it's all about the piece of paper you have. good luck! sad to be such a downer, but you're gonna need it

[bandlength]

my point is that it's not always. things aren't what they seen. read the post on india's engineers making $10K a year and living like kings in india. once again, can't live like a king in the usa for 10K

[Rowdee]

Alien, if you wish to have a discussion, why not start a thread recording what you perceive as some problems and then listing some of your thoughts; and then flag any number of us soliciting input.

To be completely truthful, alien, I doubt if you will want to know my opinion of what the solution will be, but here goes......suffice it for me to say, I believe the Founders were quite right about the Liberty Tree. That is the only viable answer/response I have to the problem.

You've been here a year....you've seen what transpires among so-called conservatives....merely a lite version of the liberals....sorry, but I think its too late....that's why I prefer not to discuss the issue---it is painful to watch over time your Country go down the tubes because no one wants to be eternally vigilant.

Regards....

[lawgirl]

Things are bad in the legal arena as well. I am an unemployed attorney in St. Louis- there are a lot of other ones as well- I am working contract work right now, but the legal market is nada at the moment. Very scary.

[lodwick]

Nice to see you here - a most interesting thread. Your point about watering the tree of liberty, hopefully is understood by everyone. See'ya.

[FITZ]

What is it exactly that is driving American labor out of work, at least work that will feed and support American families?

For one ---different economies from the third world countries. The US did okay before when it had tariffs and a high standard of living for Americans. In Mexico people can live on $3 a day because their culture is different. They can use outhouses and open sewers, they can wear huarache sandals made from old tires. They don't have housing standards, they don't go to doctors unless they're in the upper classes. It's cheaper for the rich too over there because they have cheaper store clerks, cheap servants who do their laundry ---so many don't bother with washers and dryers. We're now competing with the third world but it's not possible for Americans to live as cheaply.