John Challenger Seeing Quotations

Layoffs are still very high, and the economy seems to be showing little sign of pulling out of the doldrums, ... These lower cuts may just mean that we aren't seeing any further dips right now -- that we're just in this kind of steady, low-wattage kind of state.

With M&A activity up, we're seeing more condensing of things like duplicate headquarters, banks on adjacent corners, duplicate warehouses, ... It's definitely something that's going to fuel more downsizing in 2004.

The pattern of job cutting that we saw in the third quarter mirrors what we have been seeing almost daily in the various economic and corporate earnings reports, which is to say one report suggests the economy is headed toward recovery while the next seems to hint that we are stuck in recession,

We are seeing more job cuts from well-known, brand-name companies. The mom-and-pop category seemed to dominate the earlier waves of dot.com cuts.

We are no longer seeing the blockbuster cuts in the tens of thousands that cause big headlines, ... Instead, we are seeing cuts of 2,500 (to) 5,000. While most announcements of that size do not get a lot of media coverage, those are the ones that give us (big) figures such as those in March.

We were seeing daily announcements of the demise of CEOs in a way that seemed to stand out.

We're seeing the dismantling of the retirement age of 65.

The only clear picture we have from the job cut numbers this year is that employers appear to be confused about the direction this economy is taking, ... Companies are experiencing increased business, but they are also seeing their costs soar due to higher fuel prices, inflation in supplier prices and a weaker dollar, which makes it more expensive to buy foreign parts.

One cannot dismiss the emotional response to September 11, which has led to a renewed 'life is too short' mentality,' ... Before September 11, many younger would-be entrepreneurs might have postponed their dreams until they were older, had more experience, etc. Now, we are seeing this younger generation proceed with their dreams, throwing caution to the wind.

Companies that had told us they were seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel suddenly found themselves thrust back into darkness.