Jim

Jim, 33, was laid off from his job as a manufacturing engineer due to his company’s continued outsourcing five months ago. He is an ex-marine who holds a degree in mechanical engineering. Now he divides his time between searching for a new job and fixing up his house. Although he hasn’t had the house for very long, Jim fears that he will have to sell it if he can’t find another job soon.

My Story
Due to the poor economy and a large increase in outsourcing, my company has laid off a large portion of its workforce. My department shrank from 12 to three people when they outsourced segments of our operations. There’s still someone in my position, but work is continually being sent to “low cost” regions. 

When I came out of school it was easy to find a job. I thought my future was set because of my military experience and engineering degree. Now I am worried about holding on to my house.  I’ve devoted my free time to fixing it up in case I can’t afford the mortgage.

I was working in manufacturing engineering, so I was hopeful about getting into a mechanical design position. That’s when I learned that it’s now an incredibly competitive job market where the employers are able to pick and choose from the thousands of laid-off employees and new graduates who are more than willing to take less pay. And on top of it, many jobs are going to temp workers or being outsourced. I’m thinking about becoming a teacher, but I’m hearing that there aren’t jobs in education either with all the spending cuts. 

Austin, dubbed the second Silicon Valley, was hit very hard during this downturn and is having a hard time recovering. All the big corporations are laying people off, and other businesses aren’t drawing enough customers to sustain the downturn. I see houses with “For Sale” signs that have been up for months all over town.

It’s overwhelming how far downhill our country has gone in such a short time. Companies are taking advantage of the downturn by putting employees through the ringer. I just don’t understand how Bush was able to do so much damage in so little time.