Economy:1-1-09 Microsoft planning big layoffs for January?

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BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
Mervyn's has been going down the toilet for years. They tried to open stores in the midwest and failed miserably a decade ago. Big deal.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
I have no love for the drug companies but they are a bellweather.

10-22-2008 Merck to cut 7,200 jobs

TRENTON, N.J. ? Drugmaker Merck & Co. said Wednesday it will slash 7,200 jobs as part of a new restructuring program that comes as its third-quarter profit plunged 28 percent, due to a hefty restructuring charge and flat sales.

 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
I thought you wanted to take down the pharmaceutical companies because they're leeches on society Dave?

Aren't layoffs your goal?
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Quarter of a million jobs gone

6.5% unemplyment (I'm sure it's higher)

but up until a month ago Bush, McCain, Hannit, Rush and the resident Republicans declared the economy strong.

Of course this is all the Democrats fault:

11-7-2008 Jobless rate bolts to 14-year high of 6.5 percent

The nation's unemployment rate bolted to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent in October as another 240,000 jobs were cut, far worse than economists expected and stark proof the economy is deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid pace.

Unemployment has now surpassed the high seen after the last recession in 2001.

The jobless rate peaked at 6.3 percent in June 2003.

Factories cut 90,000 jobs, the most since July 2003. Construction companies got rid of 49,000 jobs with heavy losses in home building. Retailers cut payrolls by 38,000. Professional and business services reduced employment by 45,000. Financial activities cut 24,000 jobs, with heavy losses in mortgage banking and at securities firms. Leisure and hospitality axed 16,000 positions.

October's decline marked the 10th straight month of payroll reductions

So far this year, a staggering 1.2 million jobs have disappeared. Over half of the decrease occurred in the past three months alone.

Many expect the jobless rate to climb to 8 percent, possibly higher, next year. In the 1980-1982 recession, the unemployment rate rose as high as 10.8 percent before inching down.

As U.S. consumers watch jobs disappear, they'll probably retrench even further, spelling more trouble for the sinking economy.

That's why analysts predict the economy is still shrinking in the current October-December quarter and will contract further in the first quarter of next year. All that more than fulfills a classic definition of a recession: two straight quarters of contracting economic activity.

 
Oct 30, 2004
11,442
32
91
Presumably, that 1.2 million number doesn't include the amount jobs needed to keep up with our nation's population explosion (to maintain the same percentage of working-aged people who are working). If we need about 150,000 new jobs each month, then we need 1.8 million new jobs each year just to keep pace. (Our nation's population is, presumably, growing at a rate of over 3 million people per year since the average yearly rate between 1990-2000 according to census data was about 3.27 million/year.)

So, in terms of how many jobs were lost relative to maintaining the same percentage of working aged people who are employed, it looks like the jobs death toll for the year could be over 3 million.

Of course, this number doesn't tell us about how many good jobs were lost and replaced by new lesser jobs, a loss in job quality that doesn't show up in the "jobs lost" stat.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper
Presumably, that 1.2 million number doesn't include the amount jobs needed to keep up with our nation's population explosion (to maintain the same percentage of working-aged people who are working). If we need about 150,000 new jobs each month, then we need 1.8 million new jobs each year just to keep pace. (Our nation's population is, presumably, growing at a rate of over 3 million people per year since the average yearly rate between 1990-2000 according to census data was about 3.27 million/year.)

So, in terms of how many jobs were lost relative to maintaining the same percentage of working aged people who are employed, it looks like the jobs death toll for the year could be over 3 million.

Of course, this number doesn't tell us about how many good jobs were lost and replaced by new lesser jobs, a loss in job quality that doesn't show up in the "jobs lost" stat.

I fully expect once Obama's administration tally's the numbers they will be real once again.

Good bye to the the Republican lies
 

bamx2

Senior member
Oct 25, 2004
483
1
81
The actually unemployment rate is apprximate 2X the published figure. Those that find new jobs are getting less $ and fewer if any benefits . Things are getting worse fast . It won't be forever . Hey you folks like UAW workers live in a fantasy world and the dream is over, so deal with real world like the rest of us .
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Bloodbath continues

DHL shuts most of U.S. operations, 9,500 jobs cut

Circuit City file for Bankruptcy protection.
So you must be having a ball, we all know that the only thing that gives you any comfort in life is seeing others fall into the same despondency that you live in.

 
Oct 30, 2004
11,442
32
91
Originally posted by: SkoorbSo you must be having a ball, we all know that the only thing that gives you any comfort in life is seeing others fall into the same despondency that you live in.

Speaking for myself (not that you've levied that accusation against me), I like to post the numbers and the numbers of jobs that were not created to keep up with population growth in the hopes that my fellow American readers will take our nation's economic problems more seriously, especially the two-headed problems of Global Labor Arbitrage and the Global (and Local) Malthusian Crisis.

I don't take any pleasure in the bad news at all and find it rather terrifying since a second Great Depression in an age with a more violent and restless populace could tear the country apart. I do hope that smug Americans who feel comfortable and secure in their white collar jobs, especially the free market dogmatists, start to recognize the hollowing-out that's been happening to the nation's economy for the past couple of decades. All of our economic problems seem to be converging into a point of disaster.

An economic collapse seems inevitable, but will Americans recognize the nation's problems and be willing to fix them even if it means adopting politically incorrect policies that aren't touchy-feely?
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Dave, where are you seeing the "7%" rate that you have in your subtitle? I don't see it? :confused:

Also, USPS letting 40,000 people go.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,407
8,595
126
Originally posted by: dmcowen674

I fully expect once Obama's administration tally's the numbers they will be real once again.

Good bye to the the Republican lies


Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Any proof of this?

 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper
Originally posted by: SkoorbSo you must be having a ball, we all know that the only thing that gives you any comfort in life is seeing others fall into the same despondency that you live in.

Speaking for myself (not that you've levied that accusation against me), I like to post the numbers and the numbers of jobs that were not created to keep up with population growth in the hopes that my fellow American readers will take our nation's economic problems more seriously, especially the two-headed problems of Global Labor Arbitrage and the Global (and Local) Malthusian Crisis.

I don't take any pleasure in the bad news at all and find it rather terrifying since a second Great Depression in an age with a more violent and restless populace could tear the country apart. I do hope that smug Americans who feel comfortable and secure in their white collar jobs, especially the free market dogmatists, start to recognize the hollowing-out that's been happening to the nation's economy for the past couple of decades. All of our economic problems seem to be converging into a point of disaster.

An economic collapse seems inevitable, but will Americans recognize the nation's problems and be willing to fix them even if it means adopting politically incorrect policies that aren't touchy-feely?
It was definitely not directed at you and head-in-the-sand doesn't help any of us.
Dave, where are you seeing the "7%" rate that you have in your subtitle? I don't see it?
He made it up. He has a history of being banned for demonstrably false titles and in this case unemployment is at 6.5%, not 7%, officially.

 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: Engineer
Dave, where are you seeing the "7%" rate that you have in your subtitle? I don't see it? :confused:

Also, USPS letting 40,000 people go.

I simply added up the 300,000 new jobs lost

.5% is stingy, it's probably closer to a full percent.

Need the new adminstration in there to tally the real numbers.
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Originally posted by: BarneyFife
You guys haven't seen anything yet. Just wait until GM/Chrysler run out of money next month.

That could get really scary. Not only for GM/Chrysler, but the supplier base may go belly up with them. Millions of people could go on layoff pretty damn quick.

It was interesting to note that CNBC stated that the government would lose 48 billion dollars per year if the big three were to fail (cease to exist). Not sure what that number means, just a FYI.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
Staff member
Oct 30, 2000
42,589
5
0
Originally posted by: Engineer
Originally posted by: BarneyFife
You guys haven't seen anything yet. Just wait until GM/Chrysler run out of money next month.

That could get really scary. Not only for GM/Chrysler, but the supplier base may go belly up with them. Millions of people could go on layoff pretty damn quick.

It was interesting to note that CNBC stated that the government would lose 48 billion dollars per year if the big three were to fail (cease to exist). Not sure what that number means, just a FYI.

I could see that number being in taxes and the cost of unemploment benifits.
Who would be responsible for the retiree benifits?

 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
Originally posted by: Engineer
Dave, where are you seeing the "7%" rate that you have in your subtitle? I don't see it? :confused:

Also, USPS letting 40,000 people go.

Same place he saw $7 milk.
 

sportage

Lifer
Feb 1, 2008
11,492
3,163
136
Yeah its going to be a blue Christmas shopping season for retailers.
Maybe you can finally get that 50" Plasma 1080p for under $500??? :Q
 

ranmaniac

Golden Member
May 14, 2001
1,940
0
76
Some good news in an otherwise not-so-good news times.

The gas station I normally fill up at was $1.85 this morning, I checked gasbuddy.com and found some are in the $1.74-1.79 range.