Recent job loss stats

[Mark Herschberg]

Tech: Where are the jobs?
But if you're a tech worker, times still aren't so great. According to a recent survey by tech trade group AeA, approximately 234,000 high tech jobs were lost in 2003, building on the loss of 540,000 jobs in 2002.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT (week ending Dec 6th)
In the week ending Dec. 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 378,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 365,000. The 4-week moving average was 364,750, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 362,500.
...
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 490,406 in the week ending Dec. 6, an increase of 133,566 from the previous week. There were 547,430 initial claims in the comparable week in 2002.

[Al Newman]

The calm before the storm. Companies are squeezing more out of their current workforces because they aren't quite sure whether the current uptick in demand will last.
On my project they are squeezing us to the skins. The timeframes won't allow them to bring on too many more before the deadline hits. We're at the 'Late project; add more people and make it later' stage that Fred Brooks wrote about in The Mythical Man-Month. People ready to join and immediately make an impact are pretty short on the ground as well.
They will have to start hiring for the long term next spring.

[Richard Scothern]

I am seeing the same here (in London). We are planning to increase our numbers by about 25% in the next year.
I assume you are in London, Alfred. What (vertical) industry are you in? Finance?
Richard

[Al Newman]

Yes, Richard. Finance.