If laid off in last 3 yrs, how long were you unemployed?

[4forMe]

I was just curious how long it's taking people to find a job after they've been laid off.

My brother is in the finance field and lost his job 2 months ago. He had survived 4 prior lay offs but it still came as a shock. He's only had 1 interview so far. I know of two people that have been without work for over 2 years.

Just wondering what the average amount of time is that one is unemployed after a layoff (I realize it depends on your field, education, etc.).

Poll coming!

 

[kiki02]

I was just curious how long it's taking people to find a job after they've been laid off.

My brother is in the finance field and lost his job 2 months ago. He had survived 4 prior lay offs but it still came as a shock. He's only had 1 interview so far. I know of two people that have been without work for over 2 years.

Just wondering what the average amount of time is that one is unemployed after a layoff (I realize it depends on your field, education, etc.).

Poll coming!

2 yrs awful
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[a1tinkfans]

not me,
but my sis was out of work for just under two years, JUST got a full time job three weeks ago, she is THRILLED, as are we all. She blew thru most all of her "saved" money...Tough times......My guess is close to two years...
Also, not considering the "pay" that the new job offers.....like her, it was Below what she made prior

 

[WantToGoNow]

It will probably depend on the field you are looking for and the amount of education/experience you have, among other things.

My dh was laid off in March 2010. He was a Chemist with 23 years of expierence at the same auto manufacturing company - his position moved to Mexico and the chemical lab was shut down. He started his new job July 2, 2012 - a little over two months ago. He was laid off for 2.25 years.

 

[clori]

My dh was laid off Jan 2009 in a mass layoff (not the first or last for his company) the day we returned from a Disney vacation. He was a computer engineer of 23 years - at that point he was called a design engineer though he did software engineering for 15 years before switching to hardware. While he had contract work about 90% of the time it took him 2 years to find a permanent full time job as an embedded systems engineer in Jan 2011. Most of his contract work was for the same company that laid him off mostly to avoid benefits.

 

[peabody58]

DW laid off in 2010 from a great job, unemployed for 15 months.
She got laid of after 7 months from her new job (non-profit organization ran out of money).

We're in agreement that she should just stay at home. I am blessed with a secure job which addresses our needs as a one income family. All the 'good' jobs are gone from the area, and with DW now 55, age-discrimination is shocking-ling evident.

 

[disney1990]

I was first laid off (from a homebuilder) in January 2009.

I was hired by another homebulder in May 2010 (16 months out of work)

I was laid off againin July 2012 - 3 months ago.

I am still unemployed. I have been on only 2 job interviews since July.

Never thought that at 61 I would be looking for another job -- and at my age, finding a new job is hard.

 

[crazelion]

I was fired from my job in 2010. It took me 1 year find another one. That was in 2011. The work was too hard for me. August 2012 I got hire for a management job. But I was out work for 6 months.

I went back to my fall back career food service. I am done with teaching. I am making more money.

 

[lilpig]

I could not get a job in what I was doing when I was laid off. So I decided that work as my church secretary. I did that for over a year. I am now back in the field I was in before I was laid off.

While I enjoyed being the secretary at my church, I missed what I previously did. Which is weird bc I do cash posting / medical billing. My brain just likes it..lol

 

[sweetdana]

BIL was in IT. laid off took just over 1 yr.. he was not trying very hard though. With unemployment for almost 2yrs where he was at, he just enjoyed the time off.. After a yr he needed to start applying places and turn in stuff.. he found a job within a month of this.

 

[STLnative]

OH wasn't laid off, but he quit his IT job in December 2010 - toxic environment that was working him 16+ hour days, so no time to look for work while still employed with them. He had a contract position 4.5 months later, and they hired him full-time 6 weeks after that -- though the full-time position DID mean we had to relocate to a different state.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I was part of a mass layoff back in 1998 (not the question, but bear with me ) and it took me six weeks to find a new job. I was "rightsized" from that one in 2009, and when I mention my experience to the unemployment office job counselor, she discouragingly pointed out how different the economy was.

I had a new job - in a different field for less money, but a job! - in just under three months.

 

[MichiganKris]

I was unemployed for about 2 years, then underemployed for a year before finding another engineering job. After 2 years of unemployment I was able to find a part time minimum wage job to help pay the bills. Unfortunately I was laid of from a job in the Detroit area in engineering. I finally found a permanent job in Illinois that I love. We are hoping the bank approves a short sale on our house. It lost $200,000 in the 14 years we lived there, so we are underwater on the mortgage even though we put 20% down to start. The bank needs to decide if they want the short sale money or if they want to foreclose. Unfortunately I can't rent the house for enough money to cover the mortgage, and I'm done throwing money at a house that has lost so much value in a very nice suburb of Detroit.

 

[Woodmnky]

I was laid off in May 2011. I gave up looking several months ago because we don't have to have the income and I enjoy being a SAHM. During the year I actively looked I never received a call for an interview. I have a Masters degree and a professional license, but there are very few companies in my area highering for anything above minimum wage.

 

[Ragnrok23]

I am also in finance (staff accountant). I was laid off in early 2009, I got very lucky and found a job in 6 weeks paying more money

I was again laid off in Jul'11 I had trouble finding a job, so took a long term temp position, I finally found a full time position after 13 months that pays close to what I was making in my last full time role

 

[Snowflakey]

Goodness this scares me to death

I find out next Wednesday about the fate of my job. Company is going through a reorganization.

I just hit my 25th anniversary here (started when I was 19) and it is the best job ever.

I'm sick to my stomach. Can't believe my whole world can come crashing down in a week.

 

[kt_mom]

I was laid off last September. I immediately emailed my previous boss and told him. But I also started sending out my resume right away. I didn't get any call backs on my resume but my old boss had me hired on at his new company within a few weeks. Since it was the parent company of the one I was laid off from I had to stay out the number of weeks of severance I was paid or pay it back. I chose to enjoy two months at home with DS.

Two other ladies were laid off the same day. One was also hired on at the parent company in a different department and the other had a job at a different company all within three months. But the one at the new company was laid off again this summer and hasn't found anything else yet.

My area has rebounded pretty well though and our local economy seems to be doing good.

 

[BeachLove]

Those who have been laid off- Do you wait until a job like your last one opens up or do you look for anything available? Like our mall has tons of openings for associates and managers. Grocery stores are hiring, Target, Walmart, etc. I've noticed around here people tend to try and find the same exact job with the same exact pay. Friends will say how retail jobs are below them or how the unemployment would pay the same as getting a new job. If its a few dollars less per hour they won't even consider it. The one family member who was laid off from a job of $25/hour just found a job within a few weeks(3) for $18 an hour. Same job, less pay.

 

[kt_mom]

I was applying for all sorts of stuff in my field or related to my field. But I was not looking at the mall or grocery stores or anything yet. And probably wouldn't have until unemployement had run out. I think it would have cost me more to take a job at the mall and pay a sitter vs. unemployement and continuing to look for something similar to the job I had lost.

But when the unemployment would have ran out I would have had to make some hard choices at that point. Most likely I would not have taken an hourly position like that as it probably would not have been enough benefit to it by the time I paid childcare every week. We would have had to find a way to make do on DH salary until I could have found something closer to my origonal salary. But my inlaws did offer to pay DD school tuition if we needed it and that would have helped a lot if it had come to that.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My husband (paramedic) was expecting to be laid off at the end of this month by the county. He hadn't started looking, but he has been working as a casual flight medic for a year or so for a different company. They had a position come open for a couple of full time flight medics and he was able to get one of those jobs.