back to article Techies suffer as US unemployment inches up

The US Department of Labor this morning said that companies in the States chopped 263,000 employees from the payroll in September, nudging up the unemployment rate to 9.8 per cent. This is larger than the expected 180,000 job cuts that economists had been kicking around, which probably means Wall Street is in for another bad …

COMMENTS

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  1. Eduard Coli
    FAIL

    H1B1, L1 etc. visas and outsourcing?

    Why is the US allowing anyone to come here and work when other more common sense countries are reserving employments for their citizens?

    This seems at least incredible ignorance or corruption to continue to stuff the country with cheap foreign labor while unemployment skyrockets.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Try to keep up...

    You think our government still represents the people? The government only cares about corporations.

  3. Joe K
    Thumb Down

    Fuck

    That really is terrible.

    Not sure how it works in yank-land, you guys only get temporary welfare right? How long before you get it cut off and you have to live off squirrels or something?

    The US is in deep shit and its all the fault of skittish managers and their little gambling network (stock market).

  4. shawnfromnh
    Flame

    Dumping

    Maybe if everyone would quit buying cheaply made good from China and all these other countries the Multinationals have moved to and start buying domestic goods it would force a move. Even if it costs more buy domestic and if it isn't domestic then buy used. Whenever we buy from overseas we are encouraging this behavior and encouraging people to invest in these plants.

    There are millions including myself boycotting this and the more people that do it the faster these corporations will get the message that it's immoral to abandon your workers to increase your own bottom line.

    So until China starts importing things other than raw materials we need to stop buying their goods to protect our own jobs. I've lost 3 jobs from tech companies moving overseas and this boycott is personal to me.

  5. Brian Miller

    Unemployment / "dole queue"

    We get something for a bit, and then that's it. Normally it is three to six months, but the feds have been yakking about maybe extending it to a year.

  6. Chris iverson
    Pint

    Im part of Septembers numbers

    I signed up for unemployment which here you pay into as well. They have extended the benefit to at least a year at this point. Also I had a fair bit of cash saved so i will be good for a bit. Time to start studying again

  7. Dana W
    WTF?

    @shawnfromnh

    When is the last time you SAW any American made goods? Try to find something. I have an old Mirror drive door mac made in the USA "with Chinese components doubtless". But domestic goods?

    I live in a dairy state, yet melamine contaminated milk from CHINA is turning up in things here. Its at least a decade too late, you can't boycott China anymore, there are too many things you will need there simply isn't an alternative to, no matter your income.

    American cars? Canadian, Japanese and Chinese parts, with transmissions from who knows where and wiring from Mexico. And any electronics except for a few stereo components for millionaires and their trendy condos. Televisions? If you are going to buy a retro Predicta, otherwise, fat chance. Clothes? If they are hand made maybe. Appliances? Don't make me laugh. Too many people loved their $50 microwave ovens for anyone to even try to make them here, and most of our trusted old brands are now stick on labels for generic Chinese crap. And if the quality stinks, nobody cares because its so easy and cheap just to go out and buy another.

    And without any decent jobs how do you BUY the few remaining domestic products? My Job died in the dotcom bubble, I don't go to Walmart to buy Chinese shoes because I want to, I go to Walmart and buy Chinese shoes because I have no other choice. I'm wearing an American made watch, its 40 years old. The companies watches are all made in Switzerland now.

    Glad I bought some good British made Doc Martens while I still had the chance, its going to be a long cold winter. My last good pair of American made boots is 11 years old and only taken out of for special occasions, "at the time they cost as much as a used car" So Good Luck with that boycott, its like shopping at the co-op, nice feeling of being in touch with the community, just be glad you still can afford to "conscience shop". For most of us its not a choice anymore.

  8. Mike Shepherd
    Stop

    Just as long...

    ...as they don't come here.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    @Eduard Coli

    More to the point.

    Why aren't companies punished for:

    Off shoring jobs and

    Outsourcing jobs.

    Instead they get a nice tax break, cheat people out of their pension moneys, and collect nice

    bonuses.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bama says everything is just fine at his house

    Bama is still living high on the hog on tax payer money while unemployment continues to increase and 550,000 more people lose their job in the U.S. every single month. The Messiah had better kick it up a notch on the B.S. scale if he wants to stay on the gravy train for a full term.

  11. Eddy Ito

    Buy multinational!

    It's the only option you have. I caught this a while back, pretty much sums it up...

    http://reason.tv/video/show/is-your-ipod-unpatriotic

  12. Dan 21
    Black Helicopters

    Spin it like the local news!

    "Unemployment was 83k greater than expectations this month, down from 125k over expectations last month. Analists[sic] predict that at this rate, unemployment rates will be at the predicted levels by the end of the year."

    Oh, and last month, we were told "Rate of unemployment slowing" because there were fewer people laid off in September than in August. American media will do anything to put a better spin on some things.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @ H1B1, L1 etc. visas and outsourcing

    You have hit the nail right on the head. This started a long time ago in manufacturing and it is now effecting white collar jobs and it ain't gettin' better anytime soon.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @shawnfromnh and Dana W

    I like shawnfromnh's idea, but as Dana W said, it's easier said than done. Time the government stepped in and stepped up.

    The Western European/North American lifestyle, although excessive has been given away by our governments.

  15. Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
    Thumb Down

    Jobs

    "Unemployment was 83k greater than expectations this month, down from 125k over expectations last month. Analists[sic] predict that at this rate, unemployment rates will be at the predicted levels by the end of the year."

    "down from 125k " = There's no more jobs to be lost

    "predicted levels by the end of the year." = All jobs lost

    Mega Corp PLC will have outsourced all jobs to cheaper loacations by then

  16. Richard 102

    Correction

    The government doesn't care about corporations. The government cares about the government. The corporations just happen to be the ones with money.

  17. PT

    Worse than they say

    The true unemployment rate here is much worse than 10%. They only count those currently claiming unemployment. Approximately equal numbers of people (a) have already run out of benefits, (b) were denied them in the first place so were never counted, or (c) recently left school or college and have not yet found a job. See, you only get unemployment benefits in the USA if you held a qualifying job for some specified period before you lost it. Part timers, contractors, job hoppers and those new to the workforce need not apply.

    On the bright side, a number of companies that downsized their techies now find they need a bit of work done after all, and the jobs-on-the-side business has become a seller's market.

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