Recession Briefing 12.7: We’ll All Be Temps Soon

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

Some experts predict that temporary workers could constitute up to a quarter of the workforce in a few years. (USA Today)

With a record 5.9 million Americans who have been jobless for at least six months, many out-of-work professionals and managers, engineers and teachers have turned, in desperation, to holiday-season jobs as sales clerks. (Associated Press)

In less than two years, many of the biggest overseas government investment funds, known as sovereign wealth funds, have reaped huge gains from bailing out financial institutions, and in turn, the global financial system. (New York Times)

Screwed: 600 at ST-Ericsson

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

Today’s Total: 3,032

ST-Ericsson announced their intentions to reduce their worldwide workforce by 600 in order to cut $115 million annually… UniCare will lay off 500 Chicagoans as it moves out of the Illinois market… U.S. solar company Energy Conversion will cut 400 workers due to “restructuring”… Koenig & Bauer AG, the world’s third-largest printing press manufacturer, plans to eliminate 300 employees by mid-2010… Aircraft maker Dassault Falcon is set to lay off 214 workers in Little Rock, Ark. and N.J… Lincoln Foodservice Products Inc. has sent notice to Indiana officials of their plans to cut 190 employees following the sale of their kitchen division… The publisher of The Journal News in Westchester, N.Y. sent notice of the closure of its printing plant, resulting in the elimination of 166 workers… Teleperformance USA will lose 151 staffers at offices outside of Dublin, Ohio, next month…

Saving Strategies Part 72

With unemployment in the double digits and the holiday season kicking into high gear, saving money has never been more important—or simpler. And these days, sometimes the easiest way to save money is to simply ask. Really. Here are some tricks that we are thankful for, this holiday season:..

Upgrade Economics: 5 Steps to Getting a Better Hotel Room

The Great Recession is changing the established principles of economics. Fortunately for the budget traveler, the laws of the hotel room upgrade are now working in our favor.

It comes down to the basic principles of price discrimination—the practice of charging different prices for the same goods or services to different consumer groups. For the budget traveler in a recession, this translates to “You can stay at a Ritz for Motel 6 prices.”

When luxury hotels can’t fill their rooms, they sell their cheapest to discount travel websites. But with the junior suites empty, sometimes all it takes is a friendly smile and some nice feedback for a frugal traveler get the upgrade of a lifetime. So throw out the Rick Steves book and live in luxury while the recession is still going strong, with these five rules:

1. Book Through a Discount Site

Sidestep.com should become your travel homepage. Spend time on travel meta-search engines and read the reviews. Keep in mind that many hotels have incorrect star ratings, so examine pictures and maps carefully. And this is key: Book a hotel room one or two price levels down from the actual room you really want…

Recession Briefing 12.4: Even Restaurants Are Swapping Services

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

As they struggle to keep customers and pay the monthly bills, some restaurants are swapping food for services like oven-hood cleaning and pest control. (Wall Street Journal)

The United States economy shed 11,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate fell to 10 percent, down from 10.2 percent in October, the Labor Department said Friday. (New York Times)

Laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits today are almost twice as likely as their counterparts during the recession of the 1980s to be accused of misconduct by their former employers. (Huffington Post)…

Screwed: 1,700 at Corus

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

Today’s Total: 2,754

Some good news: Aurora union has agreed to concessions and avoided layoffs.

Steel manufacturer Corus is cutting 1,700 jobs in 2010… In an effort to restructure, solar power company Energy Conversion Devices is slashing its workforce by 400 jobs… Thomson Reuters Corp. will eliminate 240 jobs in its legal businesses… As part of its restructuring process after the purchase of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer is laying off 200 workers from the Pearl River facility formerly owned by Wyeth, effective Mar. 12… Abbott Laboratories has let go of 80 temporary employees from its medical devices factory in Temecula, CA…

A Slimmed-Down Christmas — But Will It Last?

The chestnuts will still roast; Santa Claus will be just as jolly as ever—but there’s little doubt that the holiday season is different this year. From smaller Christmas trees and fewer extravagant gifts, to an increase emphasis on homemade foods and decorations, millions of families across the country are cutting back on expenses without sacrificing the holiday spirit this year.

It’s too soon to tell whether these back-to-basics holiday rituals will turn into lasting traditions or whether they’re just passing trends that’ll be gone as soon as the economy heats up again. In the meantime, we’ve put together a roundup of what’s different this holiday season.
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Downturnaround Deals: Nordstrom, Barnes and Noble, Timberland, Macy’s, Drugstore.com, Target

Every week, we post online coupons for food, clothes, books, gadgets and more, hand-picked for Recessionwire readers by the nice people over at Savings.com.

Receive free shipping on orders of $100 or more at Nordstrom. (See more Nordstrom Coupons.)…

Recession Briefing 12.3: Families Going Rural

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

The recession is inspiring more young families and singles to head back to the country. Sometimes dubbed “ruralpolitans,” these city and town dwellers are looking at land as their new safe investment. (Wall Street Journal)

Some companies are banding together to save money by having group holiday parties. (New York Times)

Some 60 million adult Americans live without a bank account or use pawn shops and other non-bank operations to handle their finances, according to an FDIC report that called for an expansion of basic services to the “underbanked”. (Financial Times)

Screwed: 3,700 in the Air Force

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

Today’s Total: 7,905

The Air Force will slash 3,700 active airmen from service… Sanofi-Aventis axed up to 1,500 salespeople… French perfume company Marionnaud plans to hand out 582 pink slips… JT Packard and Associates, Inc. gave notice to 300 employees… Massachusetts will lose 300 mental healthcare workers… US Airways plans to eliminate 261 staff members from its operations in La Guardia Airport… Talisman Energy Inc. slashed 220 Canadian workers as it “shifts its North American focus”… Georgia-Pacific laid off 158 people from its facility in Green Bay, Wis… Permanent TSB is set to reduce its workforce by 120… ACA Co-operative Ltd. will make redundant 110 workers at its poultry processing plant in Nova Scotia… The Royal Bank of Scotland made 108 additional cuts to asset financing unit Lombard…