Mass Layoffs in S. Florida-Depression hitting hard

Employers have been dismissing more workers in mass layoffs in recent months, both nationally and in South Florida.

BY SCOTT ANDRON
SANDRON@MIAMIHERALD.COM
After 21 years at the same Fort Lauderdale boat company, Robert Mulder lost his job. Mulder was laid off in November along with dozens of his co-workers, and now they face a job market that's expected to get worse.

Mass layoffs are putting more people like Mulder out of work. The U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday that 238,000 people lost their jobs in mass layoffs nationwide in January, a 60 percent increase from January 2007.

Nearly 2,600 people have been affected in Broward and Miami-Dade counties so far this year -- and it's only February.

This time last year, the number was less than 900.

Many of them face the prospect of long-term unemployment. Mulder and countless others, well-established in their careers, were suddenly thrust into a labor market that hasn't enough jobs to go around.

''It's pretty tough out there,'' said Mulder, who was his company's accounting manager and assistant controller. ``Hopefully something will turn around, but you listen to the news and you get more depressed about what's going to happen. I'm looking for stuff at lower salaries, temp to perm, anything.''

But the cuts won't affect only the people whose jobs are eliminated. As the number of available jobs shrinks, competition will be keen for whatever's left. That could push down wages.

''It isn't just bad for people who are losing their jobs,'' said Bruce Nissen, a labor sociologist at Florida International University. ``It's bad for everybody in terms of our incomes.''

The layoffs, which the Labor Department says affected 19,301 Floridians in January, cut across industries and geography.

The department defines mass layoffs as those involving 50 or more workers at a single company. Florida companies sometimes disclose smaller cuts to the state but also may fail to disclose larger cuts.
Snippet:
Whatever the causes, mass layoffs can have a deep and lasting effect. Those laid off tend to be older and have years invested in their careers, said University of Florida economist Dave Denslow.

These people have found work they are comfortable with, and are abruptly forced to start over.

''It takes them a long time to find a new job,'' Denslow said, adding they often have to take a pay cut. What's more, research suggests that even years later, they may still be making less than their peers who were never let go.

''On average,'' Denslow said, ``you're hurt forever.''

Link