Pain and delight: Who's firing, who's hiring (updated)

We've been running a spreadsheet of layoffs at tech companies since October. It's depressing, but it's newsworthy. To offset the pain a bit, we also have a second spreadsheet tracking who is hiring. I'm happy to report that there are more companies on the record as having open jobs than there are that are executing layoffs. The raw number of jobs lost is higher than gained, unfortunately, but if you are laid off, check out that other spreadsheet for a potential new gig in your industry.

The spreadsheets: Layoffs | Openings.
(Latest updates: December 9, 2008)

There are plenty of other resources where the job seeker can turn. Check out job boards on TechCrunch, GigaOm, Mashable, and Center Networks.

I also recommend JobWire at ReadWriteWeb. It's a new blog about people getting hired. Watch for people you know on it -- they could provide leads to additional jobs at their new employers. And see my 14 things to do if you are laid off from a tech job.

[Penguinisto]

So does this cover only Silly Valley, or...? Because things are still moving pretty decently up here in the Pacific Northwest.<br /><br />/P

[twasserman]

Most of the companies that are laying off lots of people are also hiring, though not on a 1-for-1 basis. They are using the economic situation as a way to "freshen" their staff. In practice, that means hiring people with the most desirable technical skills, the newest degrees, and the best customer-facing presence. The people being laid off tend to be older and more expensive than the new hires. All of this can be done without blatant age or sex discrimination, as we saw during the dot-com bust of 2001-3.