Next Year Will Be a Better Year

When the ball drops at midnight and we say goodbye to 2009, look ahead with us at what we may hope for in 2010. All together now: We resolve to…

…get everyone (who wants one) a job. Unemployment benefits will run out for millions this year, but corporate profits are improving. Let’s turn this combo into a stronger job market.

…be a little more sure of our “recession is over” pronouncements. We’re talking about folks like Ben Bernanke, who talked of “green shoots” in March, but later pulled back from that. Or people like Larry Summers, who said that “everyone agrees the recession is over,” only to be followed up by others in the White House who softened that statement…

Most Popular Stories of 2009

In 2009 we lost our jobs, launched Recessionwire, found new gigs, lost one and left another, found new new jobs and freelance work, made countless new friends and learned more than we could have imagined. It’s been kind of awesome, thanks in no small part to our readers. We love you! And here’s what you loved to read on Recessionwire in 2009…

10. In October, we suggested readers Get Their Recession Scare On, with our downturn-themed Halloween costumes like the Bear Market and the Housing Bubble. Hilarious, even though we left out Sara’s idea of tossing on a plastic poncho and going as TARP.

9. Bad enough to lose your salary—the Incredible Shrinking Severance Check adds insult to injury…

Recession Briefing 12.31: Brits Move Back Home

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Nearly 500,000 British adults aged 35 to 44 moved back into their parents’ home in the past year. Devastated by the recession and rising rates of relationship breakdown, many had no option but to return to mother. (Daily Mail)

Companies in the U.S. expanded in December at the fastest pace in almost four years, signaling the economic recovery is gaining speed heading into 2010. (Bloomberg)

Employers say they plan to tread carefully in the coming year, and those that are hiring say they will wait until the second half to fill jobs. (Los Angeles Times)

Screwed: 2,000-plus in Lithuania

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: over

Lithuania is shutting down its only nuclear power facility, eliminating more than 2,000 jobs…Louisiana is eliminating 445 healthcare positions…

What We Lost (and Gained) in 2009

It was a very big year.

Several months ago we wrote about “recession speed“—the way things happened at an accelerated pace in the downturn. Banks failed overnight. Jobs vanished in a snap. In 2009, we’ve all experienced sudden losses, big and small. But (the upside!) we’ve also learned, earned and reaped some benefits. Here’s a partial roster of what’s been lost and found. What else should be on the list? Tell us in comments.

What We Lost

Jobs: The Department of Labor hasn’t put out official numbers for all of 2009, but adding up monthly data shows that more than 4 million jobs have been lost this year. More than 15 million people are looking for jobs in the U.S.

Any Sense of Job Security: See above.

Moviegoers in 2009: Make Us Laugh

When it came to the movies this year, it certainly was not our father’s (or grandfather, or great-grandfather’s) downturn. Like moviegoing in the Depression, more of us surely flocked to the cinema, but we were truly after an escape this time.

As Patrick J. Sauer noted earlier this year, Hollywood circa 1930 turned out films that reflected the times – Gold Diggers of 1933, Hallelujah I’m A Bum and Our Daily Bread, to name a few. This year, we had The Hangover. Clocking in at a $459.4 million global box office, I think we can safely say we weren’t eager to have our hard times memorialized on the silver screen just yet…

Recession Briefing 12.30: Workers Abandoning Vacation Days

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

The rough economy has claimed another victim: employee vacations. Two-thirds of American workers failed to use all of their vacation days this year, according to a survey released Tuesday. (New York Daily News)

Though single women account for only 46.5 percent of the female labor force, six in 10 are now jobless. 59 percent of adults in poverty are women, according to the latest Census report, which found an extraordinary discrepancy between the poverty rates of single women (20.8 percent) compared with married ones (6.2 percent). (The Big Money)

Nearly one in three metro areas have started to recover, but virtually none of the nation’s biggest cities. One likely reason is that the nascent economic recovery started in the nation’s midsection, from south to north, a part of the country that has relatively few big cities. (MSNBC)…

Screwed: Hundreds at US Fidelis

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: over 143

The Good News: More employers are said to be planning to hire in 2010.

The Bad News: US Fidelis in Missouri is laying off “hundreds” of workers…

How to Shop in Your Closet for New Year’s Eve

With all the sales taking place and New Year’s just days away, it can be tempting to hit the stores for some new party duds. But face it (as I recently did): You have plenty of clothes. You just overspent on holiday gifts. And even the gainfully employed learned this year about the importance of being frugal. So here’s how to shop in your closet, and some sparkle to your evening without spending:

Repurpose Your Jewels

Works especially well with hand-me-downs from mom and grandma. Hang a big rhinestone pin on some ribbon to make a new necklace.

The Recession Will End … When Charitable Giving Bounces Back


Americans are buying more holiday gifts this season than last, but that same spirit of generosity has yet to reach most charities. (via Chronicle of Philanthropy)

If a tight job market, pinched portfolio and limited credit have taught us anything this year, it’s that when it comes to spending, it’s time to prioritize. We’re partially surprised that spending on gifts has trumped giving to charities, but it might be worth separating the two data points: Holiday spending reflected a small but growing uptick in Americans’ income, coupled with cutting back that happened all year. Who wouldn’t splurge a little at the holidays?

But when people cut back on giving to philanthropy, that’s something else altogether…