Screwed: 600 at Continental Airlines

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

Today’s Total: 1, 277

Continental Airlines is eliminating 600 reservation agents by April 11 since online flight-booking has surpassed call-in reservations…In Houston, TX, Innovative Consultants LLC are cutting 287 jobs this month…Last week, Monster Worldwide Inc. began laying off 200 employees out of their 5,600 global workforce…In Illinois, Bunge North America will cut production of a soybean production line by April 23, and laying off 100 employees in the process…Meanwhile, Goodrich Crop is cutting 60 workers at a manufacturing plant in Virginia…In North Carolina, Invista will be eliminating 30 jobs in the next 60 days as it shuts down a production line.

Recession Briefing: Flying the Private Skies Again

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

Gingerly, some business travelers are venturing back into private aircraft after the battered economy — and a public outcry against that perk of fat cats, the corporate jet — walloped the general aviation industry starting in 2008. (New York Times)

The longest and deepest U.S. economic slump in seven decades has been dubbed the “Great Recession” by the Associated Press. The AP Stylebook Online notified subscribers this month it had added the term as a reference for the downturn that began in December 2007. (Bloomberg)

Nearly 20 percent of the U.S. workforce lacked adequate employment in January and struggled to make ends meet with reduced resources and bleak job prospects, according to a Gallup poll released on Tuesday. (Reuters)…

Five Reasons to Love the Olympics in a Recession

Whether you love (or hate) ice dancing, luge or curling, as the economy limps along, we’re feeling like it’s a great time for the Olympic games. Here’s why:

It’s Motivating

So you lost that job you hated. Lindsey Vonn bruised her shin and went on to win gold and make history. Shaun White keeps doing the tough tricks, even after he bashes his face in. These athletes know that when you’re bruised and battered, you train and try again. Buck up, train hard and be ready for the next race…

Recession Briefing: Outlook Bleak for Long-Term Unemployed

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

Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in past recessions, failing to create jobs in sufficient numbers to absorb the record-setting ranks of the long-term unemployed. (New York Times)

Bernard Madoff’s top lieutenant may get “extraordinary” leniency from prosecutors for his help in unraveling the largest Ponzi scheme on record. In a letter released on Friday, federal prosecutors in New York praised the efforts of Madoff associate Frank DiPascali in providing “substantial assistance to the government in its investigation and prosecution of others.” (Reuters)

Both domestic mobility and immigration were sharply down in 2007 to 2009 from the levels recorded during most of the decade. (The American)…

Screwed: 1,020 at Boeing

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

Today’s Total: 1,196

Boeing gave 60-day layoff notices to 1,020 workers in Washington, California, and St. Louis, Missouri last Friday as part of a larger plan to cut 10,000 jobs…In Nevada, Anheuser-Busch InBev cut 90 jobs last week and plans on cutting another 350 in the next few months…In Williston, VT, Triosyn laid off 35 employees and attributed the decision to a low demand of their anti-bacterial product caused by the marked end of the swine flu pandemic…In California, the city of Corona eliminated 31 government workers and a few city buildings…After having cut more than a quarter of their workforce, Viking Range Corp in Mississippi laid off another 20 employees.

Screwed: Up to 4,000 in L.A.

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

Today’s Total: 4,527

Municipal layoffs in L.A. may run as high as 4,000 workers as the city council tries to resolve the budget deficit… Florida A&M University faces the possibility of up to 247 staff layoffs… HealthMarkets insurance company in North Richland Hills i terminating 130 positions… 80 police officers and firefighters face unemployment in Flint, Michigan… In another round of layoffs, Fork Township, PA pipe fitting manufacturer, Victaulic, is laying off up to 40 workers… In New Jersey’s Union Township 30 police officers face layoffs effective March 29 unless they agree to cheaper health plans…

Screwed: 3,100 in Texas

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

Today’s Total: 5,976

Texas legislature proposed a cost-cutting plan to close privately-run prisons, cutback in treatment and rehabilitation programs, and eliminate 3,100 state correction employees…Yesterday, Humana Inc. announced its plan to layoff 2,500 employees, 5 percent of its total workforce, by the end of this year…Cal State East Bay is considering a job-cut of 140 non-teaching staff…In California, Pajaro Valley Unified School District approved a plan to layoff 130 employees in MarchIn Pennsylvania, Moses Taylor Hospital gave pink slips to 61 workers in their first round of layoffs in 17 years…In Florida, Tampa City Hall plans on laying off 30 finance employees in the city’s budget office by next week…In Philadelphia, Kimmel Center Inc. plans on cutting 15 jobs as part of a restructured budget plan.

How to Make Quick Cash (Including Some Ways That Aren’t Embarassing)

So you’ve lost your job — or maybe you’re running out of unemployment. In any case, you need to make some fast cash. The people over at Coupon Sherpa put together a list of resources to do just that–and while some of them we’d do in a second, others would be a real hit to the pride and reputation.

Sure, you’ve got to do what it takes to pay the bills. And yes, there are wonderful people who deliver phone books and clean houses. We know some. But guess what? They’d rather have better jobs, too. Here’s a handy guide to what you can do without feeling embarrassed, and what you’ll want to wear a good disguise for.

Say It Loud and Proud

Monetizing your web site or blog
Selling your unwanted stuff
Flipping web sites

Fine…As Long As Nobody Finds Out

Becoming a human guinea pig
Giving blood…

The New Normal: Jobs Barely Won

Remember the days when finding a job meant scrolling through an overflowing career board, submitting a dozen resumes, interviewing with a handful of employers, and accepting a job offer just a couple days later? Oh, how things have changed.

The average length of time it takes an unemployed person to find work these days sits at 30.2 weeks—an incredible 17.5 more weeks on average than it took a job hunter looking for work back in 2001. While you may find a job eventually, it probably isn’t going to fall into your lap like it may have in years’ past—just one of many “new norms” for job seekers that have been created by the recession.

After the jump, we have put together a roundup of five new norms for those searching for jobs, which you can either choose to embrace or ignore at your own peril….

Screwed: 900 at Ford Motor Co.

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

Today’s Total: 1,777

The Ford Motor Co. Michigan Mustang plant is planning 900 employee layoffs… The Long Beach Unified School District will deliver 750 layoff warnings next month… Safe Air in Blenheim, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, is facing 100 job cuts… The Georgia World Congress Center has laid off 27 employees in anticipation of lower convention activity… Merck & Co. Inc is facing a 15 percent staff cut, likely brought on by its acquisition of Schering Plough… The 1,000 layoffs planned for L.A. may involve workers of L.A.X., Port of Los Angeles, and the L.A. Department of Water and Power…