'What are 10,000 deaths? Statistics. What is one death? Tragedy', Josef Stalin, the Communist tyrant who ruled the Soviet Union for close to 30 years, once famously said. Substitute the word death/s by layoff/s and you get the point.

While the job situation in India was really grim in 2008, it is likely to get terrifying as 2009 progresses.

While labour-oriented sectors like textiles, real estate and housing bear the harshest brunt of this fallout other sectors like financial services, banking, information technology, business process outsourcing, automobiles, oil & petroleum, retail, media -- only to name a few -- are seeing layoffs like India has never seen before.

In essence, the shadow of job losses will loom large over India for some time to come.

Companies do take advantage of your situation and try to get good talented people with lesser amounts.

Tales of how employees across ranks and levels are being sacked as the dark shadow of recession grows longer and longer.

• Make a good portfolio as liquidity is important.


• Learn... Learn... Learn.


• Realise your potential and be positive. If you are talented, you will surely get a job.


• Never think that bad times won't come.


• Save some money for bad times.


• Have an offer ready when you know the situation is getting worse.


• Spend wisely; try to minimise your extra expenditure.


• Build a strong network of people at your workplace.


• Save minimum 6 months of your salary in your bank which will help you when you are without a job.


• Don't be greedy -- be satisfied what you have.


• Stay with one company for quite some time before switching jobs.


• Realise your potential and be positive -- if you are talented, you will surely get a job.


• Build a good rapport with job recruiters for these people can help you when you lose your job.


• If your parents are dependent on you, better take a family health insurance; keep some cash aside for their medical needs.


• In these times if your company puts you on the bench start looking out for a new job immediately.


• If you have the money and the resources, upgrade your skill sets.


• Understand that you lost your job not because you are inefficient but because companies are laying off to cut costs; if you were not talented or inefficient your company wouldn't have hired you in the first place.


• The company is running a business, not a charity. So it can be expected to take suitable action in the best interests of the business. Don't take it personally or as a personal failure.


• Security does not come from the Job you are doing or the company you are working with. Security comes from the knowledge and skills you have developed over the years which keeps you ahead of the crowd. Keep upgrading your skills so that you are always employable, even in the worst of the economies.


• Keep your eyes and ears open for trouble in the company. Coz u never know when you will be next.


• Avoid knee-jerk reactions. If your company lays-off people, don't panic. You survive coz you are either needed or are a good performer.


• Once you are laid-off, keep your expected salaries for potential recruiters at a reasonable level. If your expectations are too high, you wont even get an interview call.
  


• Never trust people at office. They will never be yours.


• Love your work and not your company because you never know when your company stops loving you.


• Make sure you have enough money to sustain yourself and your family for at least 4 to 6 months in such emergencies.


• During this crisis, if possible, have another offer in hand, just in case your company decides to sack you. This happened in my case and I just like many other employees trusted the speech given by CTO and did not look for other job opportunity. In fact I refused a couple of offers during my tenure with this company since I felt I had given my verbal commitment to the company to stay for at least 4 to 5 years.


• Never trust any speeches or commitments given by senior management employees during such financial crises as you never know when they might go back on their word.