Do you know anyone laid off for an extended period of time? What was their situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you kidding, OP? Months is the bare minimum these days. It’s brutal. Especially in your 40s or older.

So how are you supposed to support yourself or your family?

Live off your savings, downsize drastically, start a dog walking, house cleaning or babysitting business. That’s always been the American way.

I find it truly astonishing that these questions are only now popping up on DCUM. I guess the crowd here (or their parents) completely missed out on the collapse of multiple industries in the 1980-90s. Some time ago I posted here a link to a NYTimes article from 2001 about middle aged people who lost their executive jobs in tech industry and were never able to get back in the saddle.

That sounds absolutely miserable, to have to downsize and go to such a low standard of living. I feel like at a certain point I’d just find it pointless to stay alive to be honest.

Victoria Ratliff has entered the chat.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor. White male, mid-40s. He has been unemployed for over a year. Multiple interviews, zero offers.

He has a strong resume and a good skill set.

[Anonymous]

my history, all with the same company (I'm a scientist)

2005, 1st lay off, 6 months later, still job searching but they asked me back

2008, 2nd layoff, wanted to be a SAHM but 8 months later they begged me to come back (got some great terms outta that)

2018, 3rd layoff, took exactly 13 months to find another job

[Anonymous]

My DD's firm downsized in December. They laid off 803 employees, including DD. She had been applying to every PM posting she saw until last month. Suddenly, firms she had been applying to and had gotten encouraging responses from ) said, "Sorry, there's too much uncertainty in the market right now. We are holding off on all new hires." or "We lost our government contract. We are unable to offer you a position at this time." DOGE hurts everyone.

[Anonymous]

I lost my job several years ago when my partially grant-funded program was axed by my (enormous and well-known) employer. About 2 weeks after that, I ended up with significant elder care responsibilities. Now, years later, I’d like to pivot careers and re-enter the workforce.

What sucks is that I feel too caregivered-out to resume my previous career — where there is a demand, and flexibility would be pretty easy to arrange.

[Anonymous]

I took an early buyout from my employer in tech at the age of 58 in September '24 with one year of severance pay (250K) and one full year of family insurance. I got calls from recruiters asking me if I would be interested in a government contracting job. On March 1st, I decided to go back on the job market, so I reached out to two recruiters. I got my first interview one week later, and was offered a government contractor job that pays 180K/yr. I interviewed with another company last week, and was offered a job for 220K/yr. However, the commute was one hour each way, so I accepted the job with a lower salary. I feel very blessed to be able to work for a good salary at my age. Best of luck to everyone who is looking for jobs during this time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took an early buyout from my employer in tech at the age of 58 in September '24 with one year of severance pay (250K) and one full year of family insurance. I got calls from recruiters asking me if I would be interested in a government contracting job. On March 1st, I decided to go back on the job market, so I reached out to two recruiters. I got my first interview one week later, and was offered a government contractor job that pays 180K/yr. I interviewed with another company last week, and was offered a job for 220K/yr. However, the commute was one hour each way, so I accepted the job with a lower salary. I feel very blessed to be able to work for a good salary at my age. Best of luck to everyone who is looking for jobs during this time.

That is great!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It use to be said that it takes 1 month for every 10K of salary

That didn’t take into account tens of thousands of people just like you getting laid off simultaneously. I hate this administration with every fiber of my being. That we have billionaires gleefully getting rid of people whose health insurance is tied to their jobs, knowing many of the older ones might never find salaried work again. Unconscionable that anyone supports these monsters.

MAGAs are hooting in glee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you kidding, OP? Months is the bare minimum these days. It’s brutal. Especially in your 40s or older.

So how are you supposed to support yourself or your family?

Live off your savings, downsize drastically, start a dog walking, house cleaning or babysitting business. That’s always been the American way.

I find it truly astonishing that these questions are only now popping up on DCUM. I guess the crowd here (or their parents) completely missed out on the collapse of multiple industries in the 1980-90s. Some time ago I posted here a link to a NYTimes article from 2001 about middle aged people who lost their executive jobs in tech industry and were never able to get back in the saddle.

That sounds absolutely miserable, to have to downsize and go to such a low standard of living. I feel like at a certain point I’d just find it pointless to stay alive to be honest.

And that’s the American way now: gimme what I want now or I’ll off myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD was laid off from her first real job out of college and is coming up on 15months of searching for a full-time job. She found a PT, but that barely covers her living expenses. The constant rejections were affecting her mental health, so she took a break from searching and is afraid to start again. Her confidence is shot, and she is extremely depressed. Counselors didn't seem to help. I'm not sure how to help her.

She should move home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It use to be said that it takes 1 month for every 10K of salary

That didn’t take into account tens of thousands of people just like you getting laid off simultaneously. I hate this administration with every fiber of my being. That we have billionaires gleefully getting rid of people whose health insurance is tied to their jobs, knowing many of the older ones might never find salaried work again. Unconscionable that anyone supports these monsters.

MAGAs are hooting in glee.

Until their Medicaid/Medicare/Social Security gets cut. Farmers and small business owners who voted for Trump are getting their asses kicked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you kidding, OP? Months is the bare minimum these days. It’s brutal. Especially in your 40s or older.

So how are you supposed to support yourself or your family?

Live off your savings, downsize drastically, start a dog walking, house cleaning or babysitting business. That’s always been the American way.

I find it truly astonishing that these questions are only now popping up on DCUM. I guess the crowd here (or their parents) completely missed out on the collapse of multiple industries in the 1980-90s. Some time ago I posted here a link to a NYTimes article from 2001 about middle aged people who lost their executive jobs in tech industry and were never able to get back in the saddle.

That sounds absolutely miserable, to have to downsize and go to such a low standard of living. I feel like at a certain point I’d just find it pointless to stay alive to be honest.

And that’s the American way now: gimme what I want now or I’ll off myself.

Maybe for Gen Z.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD was laid off from her first real job out of college and is coming up on 15months of searching for a full-time job. She found a PT, but that barely covers her living expenses. The constant rejections were affecting her mental health, so she took a break from searching and is afraid to start again. Her confidence is shot, and she is extremely depressed. Counselors didn't seem to help. I'm not sure how to help her.

What field? If it’s a very niche field, can she get a master’s in person and pivot to something better? A master’s give her the opportunity to network and have a college career office help her.

[Anonymous]

Yes, a family member was let go from his 7 figure job when new management took over. He was a miserable, mean person and was out of work for nearly 3 years. Eventually found another job in the same field for lower money. The toll of the job loss hit his marriage when his wife decided that he wasn’t worth putting up with if he didn’t have the salary to make it worth her while.

I know of a couple more people who were out of work for a couple of years and all of the situations ended in divorce. The lesson learned here is to take a job, any job and look for something else instead of choosing to stay unemployed for an extended period of time. Hanging around the house isn’t appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you kidding, OP? Months is the bare minimum these days. It’s brutal. Especially in your 40s or older.

So how are you supposed to support yourself or your family?

Live off your savings, downsize drastically, start a dog walking, house cleaning or babysitting business. That’s always been the American way.

I find it truly astonishing that these questions are only now popping up on DCUM. I guess the crowd here (or their parents) completely missed out on the collapse of multiple industries in the 1980-90s. Some time ago I posted here a link to a NYTimes article from 2001 about middle aged people who lost their executive jobs in tech industry and were never able to get back in the saddle.

That sounds absolutely miserable, to have to downsize and go to such a low standard of living. I feel like at a certain point I’d just find it pointless to stay alive to be honest.

And that’s the American way now: gimme what I want now or I’ll off myself.

Well life expectancy in US is declining for men.