Screwed: 125 at Cedenco

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

Today’s Partial Total: 299

New Zealand suffers as Cedenco food processor closes one of its factories, affecting 125 workers and WPI International closes its Gisborne sawmill location, laying off 65 employees… Piper Aircraft Inc. let go of 45 employees last week… In another round of layoffs, Fulbright & Jaworski lays off 42 employees…

Win $500 for a Recession Photo or $2,000 for Small Business Video

Still jobless? (Or just want more cash?) You still have 10 days to enter the Recession Expression photo competition being held by Brickfish, a social marketing firm. Upload a picture that reflects how the recession has hit your community, and you could win the $500 grand prize, or other $250 and $100 awards…

Downturn Designers

This economic rough patch has not been kind to clothing. It’s become the norm for retailers to offer 70 percent off. Fashion brands from Christian Lacroix to Hartmarx to Kira Plastinina have filed for bankruptcy. (Though it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that a line by a 16-year-old Russian heiress would last less than a year.) Haute couture houses are struggling to survive.

Yet in last week’s New York Times, designer Diane von Furstenberg, who also heads the Council of Fashion Designers of America, advised “confidence.”

“Everyone else is insecure,” she said. “If you start to take a little bit of everyone else’s insecurity—forget it.” (And btw, you were all spending too much during the boom.)

Sure, DVF has an uber-successful fashion company and a billionaire husband. But does she also have a point? Von Furstenberg debuted her namesake brand in 1973, smack in the middle of a major recession. In fact, some of the most popular and respected designers and innovative materials have emerged in downturns—just further evidence that creativity can flourish in recession, and success can take root in hard times…

Screwed: 600 at the Virginia Department of Transportation

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

Today’s total: 2,350

The good news: JPMorgan Chase is hiring 250 people in Louisiana.

The bad news: 600 full-time Virginia Department of Transportation employees are losing their jobs….550 United Airlines flight attendants accepted severance packages…ATK Space Systems, in Ogden, Utah, is letting go up to 450 engineers and factory workers…Element Six, formerly De Beers, has laid off 370 of its employees in Ireland…United Launch Alliance is about to cut 224 jobs across the country…

Lemonade Makers: The Unexpected Impresarios

Brandon Howard and Fisayo Esconsay, both 28, were roommates at the University of Maryland. When the economy took a dive, Esconsay’s law firm, Sullivan & Cromwell, warned associates they should look for other opportunities; Howard, who worked in music marketing for Steve Stoute and Jay-Z, was laid off. In September, they plan to open Recess, a new nightclub located a block from the White House. They talked to Recessionwire about why they’re betting the project can thrive.

Nightclubs are a notoriously fickle business. What makes you think you can pull this off in this economy?

Esconsay: I’ve been promoting events in D.C. this whole time, through the economic downturn. The nightclub business hasn’t realty taken as much of a hit as other businesses. I’m not sure if people are looking for low cost alternative for entertainment or what, but the nightclub business hasn’t missed a beat.

Howard: People have to look at opportunity. In the recession you have people who are trying to move the ball ahead. Those are the people who are going to come out on top…

Screwed: 1,200 at Lloyds

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

Today’s Total: 4,100

Lloyds is laying off 1,200 employees, mostly from the IT support and insurance services departments…Harley-Davidson plans to let go 1,000 workers…Cisco is set to cut up to 700 jobs in the San Jose area…McGraw-Hill plans to layoff 550 employees…Lufthansa is laying off 400 workers, primarily in Germany…

Recession Briefing 7.17

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

A roadside billboard campaign funded by an anonymous donor tells motorists “Self worth is greater than net worth” and “This will end long before those who caused it are paroled.” (Associated Press)

Most people believe the economic downturn has led to more gang violence, according to a new national survey. (Associated Press)

Economist Nouriel Roubini said yesterday the worst of the financial crisis is over and reiterated that the recession may end this year. (Bloomberg)…

What the #&%@ Just Happened

A certain cinematic truant once said, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Or, to put it in the language of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, “Over the past two years, and particularly since the intensification of the global financial crisis in the fall of 2008, new information has been released at a stunning pace.”

If you, like us, have been longing for a roadmap to the downturn, something that lays out what’s happened at recession speed, check out the global financial crisis timelines from the Fed. You can reminisce with your friends about the day the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Fund Liquidity Facility was born, get teary over that time the Office of Thrift Supervision shut down WaMu. Ah, those were the days…

Screwed: 2,000 in State of California

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

Today’s Partial Total: 4,058

Schwarzenegger warns of a possible 2,000 employee layoff in the state of California… Pentagon cutbacks are forcing 1,000 layoffs at Boeing… Another 600 employees are losing their jobs at Lockheed Martin due to the cancellation of the presidential helicopter program… 431 layoffs will hit the city of Chicago today…

How to Keep Employees in the Downturnaround

The unemployment rate is still high and new layoffs are announced each day. In other words, we’re not in a recovery yet. But companies should start thinking now about what happens as the labor pool shallows out.

Right now there are countless people who have had to take unpaid leaves or were hired on the cheap; when the economic situation improves, don’t expect them to show much loyalty to their employers. They’ll be interviewing on company time, taking calls from recruiters and jumping ship like crazy.

I frequently receive calls from candidates tied to the automotive industry. A former director of human resources who had to take a job as the HR manager of a very small operation and a 25% pay cut asked me to find him a new position. He told me that he was willing to take a pay cut but in exchange for flexibility with vacation and company car, but the Japanese company we were dealing with would not negotiate. Even though he has more than 20 years of experience, he won’t receive any vacation time until year two of employment. The vacation time for the five years after that is only one week. Do you think he’ll be sticking around that long if he has a choice?

Smart employers will be prepared to keep strong employees and add new (or old) ones to stay competitive. Ask these seven questions to get on track…