Are you underemployed in America? Tell your story.

Lost in all the unemployment headlines is the fact that underemployment in the United States has now reached its highest recorded level. Underemployment hit 14% in January 2009 and that figure is significantly understated.A quick look at the US Government's measurement reveals why.The underemployed includes three population groups:1. Unemployed workers (increasing at an alarming pace of 600,000 downsized employees a month).2. Jobless workers who are no longer actively seeking employment (marginally attached workers).3. Part-time employees seeking full-time work (involuntary part-time workers).What is noticeably missing in

Corporate Layoffs: Necessity or Bandwagon?

The sun has now set on one of the most storied American corporations. For the 15 year period from 1982 to 1997, it was THE top performer in the entire US stock market. Jim Collins immortalized the company in his 2001 bestseller Good to Great. Today, Circuit City has gone out of business and laid off 34,000 employees. Back in October, consulting firm Watson Wyatt reported on CNN Money that a quarter of US employers expect to make layoffs over the next twelve months. That estimate may be conservative now with some analysts predicting unemployment at 10 percent or higher over this next year. Corporate layoffs have become the daily