layoffs

Judging from news broadcasts and newspaper headlines, the U.S. is slipping deeper and deeper into recession. It inevitably means increasing level of unemployment. If you have been redundant, you definitely don’t want to repeat this unpleasant experience. So, in times of the economic collapse, it makes sense to consider new job opportunities. Which professions can be the safest choice?

Economists expect the government's key employment report, due Friday morning, will show a net loss of 540,000 jobs in January which follows the 524,000 loss in December. They forecast the unemployment rate to increase 7.5% from 7.2%, which would be a 16-year high. Indeed, January 2009 was one of the most terrible months for layoffs than ever.

According to the latest reports the card spending in New Zealand continues to decline being in the worst slump. The trend is ascribed to the customers’ cutting their spending in light of increasing layoffs and deteriorating economy. December was a third month already credit card usage was declining, the most protracted fall since the series commenced in 1994, Reserve Bank released in a report on its Web-site. Credit card spending dropped 2.2 % from November, when it lowered 1%.

Following the data announced earlier by the Labor Department, the survey of Challenger, Gray & Christmas marked November as the worst month for layoffs since January 2002 when large employers cut about 250,000 jobs as the nation was recovering from the prior year recession and September 11 attacks. The previous month largest employers nationwide cut 181,671 positions which brought the total number of corporate pink slips issued by the moment to over 1 million.