the last two years

[Shamus]

We have suffered quite badly as well up here in North Eastern BC, Canada. Our logging idustry is almost non-existant and used to bring in the most dollars. Never mind that the mountain pine beatle at aproximatly 30% of our wood. I am a project manager for a fairly large pipeline construction company. In 2008 we did over 30 million worth of work. 2009 we did about 8, and 2010 is a little better but not much. The only guys doing well up here are the auction sale companys, they have you coming and going.

Our nieghbors to the east in Alberta have it worse, I think in 2008 there were about 115 rigs drilling, before christmas there was 15. It didn't help that Albertas Premiere decided to empose a 25% royalty to all oil companies at the beginning of a recession.

The winter olimpics are draining what little we had left in BC, AND you guys beat us at our own game last night!!

We are suffering up north as well, maybe not quite as bad as the US but very close...so don't feel like the lone rangers with the economy. I think 2011 should pick things up around here and all of us...I hope so anyway.

[sparky216]

I guess I'm very lucky as I'm a field engineer in the diagnostic imaging sector. I've been busier than I have every been in my 12 year career, and there is no sign of a slow down. We actually have 2 positions open in Oregon and one in Washington, I suspect that we will have 2 more positions open by the end of the year in OR. Crazy busy!

[jwanck11]

I am in the Pharmaceutical business and it is Hurting. While execs continue to report record profits, pipelines are for the most part dry, litigation costs are rising and the savings (profits) from cuts are far harder to come by. Seriously, the industry has been hurting for quite awhile. Whereas at one time the drug business was as safe as any other, the pendulum has swung very far to the other side.

It is interestingly though linked to the economy not in terms of the consumption slow down directly, but moreso indirectly.

Most of our jobs are going to outsource resources and many of them off-shore companies. Whole divisions are going at once and layoffs are coming in droves. Original projections of say 30% layoffs are turning into 60% (this is inter-departmental). India for instance has 2 massive companies - amongst others - that have swallowed whole sets of processes and capabilities that used to be done internally... and it does not look as though the trend is slowing rather it seems to be going full steam ahead. Another 7800 layoffs were announced to the world in January.

I am thankfully in a position that my skills are transferrable across industries if it comes to that. But that does not make this any less stressful.

Honeslty, I just do not see (because I am ignorant to how it might happen) how there can be any semblance of a rebound when people who make up the C component of GDP are continuously being unemployed with relatively very little uptake anywhere in the economy? With the increase in jobs heading outside of our borders (and China is coming behind India) who is going to have dollars to spend???