The Wall Street Journal reports that operators of Bob Evans, T.G.I. Friday's and many other restaurants across the country have cut busboy positions to make ends meet, making the job of servers more hectic and leaving customers waiting for tables to be cleared. In many states, busboys make more money per hour than servers who have lower statutory wages because they earn tips.

(Reuters) - Prudential Financial Inc. (PRU.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that it will shut down its stock research and trading business, in the insurer's latest pullback from a rocky 26-year stay on Wall Street.

The company said it is closing down Prudential Equity Group's offices and trading operations in nine U.S. cities as well as in London, Zurich, Paris and Tokyo. Prudential dropped research coverage immediately and said 400 employees will be terminated as operations are wound down during the quarter ending June 30.

"Prudential's strategy is to be in businesses where we have significant scale," said Prudential spokeswoman Theresa Miller. "The research and trading markets are really competitive, really challenging, and are not an area where we've been able to achieve that scale or success for our clients, for our shareholders and certainly our employees."

Newsday reports Motorola plans to drop 4,000 jobs.

Motorola Inc., the world's second-biggest mobile-phone maker, will eliminate 4,000 jobs, the second round of firings this year as it works to return to a profit.

[The company did not indicate how many jobs may be eliminated at the former Symbol Technologies, based in Holtsville, which it acquired last year, but a Motorola spokeswoman told Newsday the reduction will apply to "all businesses and functions, companywide." Motorola had 66,000 employees at the end of last year. Symbol reported earlier last year that it employed 1,200 on Long Island, but declined to give an updated figure this year.]

The Granholm administration on Tuesday sent official notices to unions representing state workers warning them of possible layoffs on or after June 22, reports the Lansing State Journal.

The Civil Service Commission passed rules for laying off nonunionized workers in April.
There's talk of a partial government shutdown for four days after July 4. By splitting the days off over two weeks, the state could avoid unemployment claims.
There are 14,300 state employees working in the tri-county area.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Times will offer buyouts to up to 150 employees to offset declining circulation and advertising in the latest effort by parent company Tribune Co. to cut jobs ahead of its plan to go private in an $8.2 billion deal.

The buyouts would equal 3 percent to 5 percent of workers at the Times, Tribune's largest newspaper, publisher David Hiller wrote in a note to the staff.

"We also have to look at our staffing levels again, as painful as it is, and as many times as we have done it before," Hiller wrote. "The fact is we have to take actions to keep staffing in line with the revenue picture, which currently is falling in the core print business.
Other reduction plans include eliminating some positions, a voluntary four-day week for 80 percent of pay and cutting other currently open jobs, Hiller wrote.

Up to 70 jobs could be cut from the Times' news operations, which would bring the newsroom staff to roughly 850, the Times reported on its Web site. The news operation employed about 1,200 when Tribune bought the paper in 2000.

Sony Plans Job Cuts In Struggling Gaming Division, reports Shu-Ching Jean Chen for Forbes.com

Amid intense competition in the video game console market, Sony Corp. is planning a restructuring of its games division that will include job cuts in Europe, and possibly in Japan and the U.S.

The broad restructuring efforts will begin with job cuts in the European unit of Sony’s gaming division, Sony Computer Entertainment, reportedly involving the elimination of as many as 160 jobs, or up to 10% of the European unit’s workforce.

The news was conveyed in an e-mail message sent to employees Monday by the unit’s European president, David Reeves.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless aid jumped to the highest level in two months last week, while retailers warned of softer sales in April after a stronger-than-expected March, suggesting some weakness in the economy.

U.S. import prices, meanwhile, jumped 1.7 percent in March as petroleum prices surged, but prices for non-petroleum imports were up just 0.3 percent, data showed on Thursday.

An unexpected 19,000 jump in jobless claims for the week ended April 7 was at least partly due to temporary layoffs associated with school holidays, the Labor Department said, but economists said the data could indicate tightness in the labor market was beginning to ease.
Similarly, while retailers reported stronger-than-forecast sales in March, helped by an early Easter and pent-up demand after a cold February, investors focused on retailer forecasts for weaker sales in April.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internet phone company Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE:VG - news) said on Thursday its chief executive had stepped down and it plans to cut jobs and marketing costs, seeking to revive a business that investors worry may collapse.

Vonage shares, which have fallen more than 80 percent from their initial public offering price a year ago, rose 11 percent or 33 cents to $3.33 in early afternoon trading.

Eileen Alt Powell, AP Business Writer, reports Citigroup Inc., the nation's largest financial institution, said Wednesday it will eliminate about 17,000 jobs as part of a companywide restructuring to reduce costs and improve profit.

That amounts to about 5 percent of the bank's 327,000-strong work force. Citigroup said its plans include "shrinking the size of corporate centers," several of which are in New York. It also expects to move some 9,500 jobs to lower-cost locations.

Still, the elimination of the jobs won't reduce the bank's work force, but merely slow its growth, Citi executives said.

Robert Druskin, Citi's chief operating officer who developed the restructuring plan over the past three months, told a conference call with Wall Street analysts they should expect Citi's headcount to grow this year because of acquisitions and plans to open new branches, especially overseas.

"But that rate of growth will be at a significantly diminished rate," Druskin said.

Citigroup has a number of acquisitions in the works. It is expanding operations in China and earlier this month announced the purchase of a bank in Taiwan. Citi also has made a tender offer for a Japanese brokerage.

Stephanie Armour, for USA TODAY, writes Circuit City Stores' (CC) decision to lay off 3,400 employees in order to hire lower-paid replacements is raising questions about the impact of severe cost-cutting on employee morale.

The consumer electronics retailer announced Wednesday that it was immediately firing store associates "who were paid well above the market-based salary range for their role." New workers will be paid less, although Circuit City did not reveal the pay of the workers.

Laying off workers who earn higher pay raises the risk of deflating the morale of employees who are left behind, says Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success.

"People left behind are probably thinking they don't have a future there," Trunk says.

CNNMoney.com reports on layoffs at Circuit City.

Circuit City (NYSE:CC) Stores Inc. said Wednesday it plans to cut costs by laying off about 3,400 store workers and hiring lower-paid employees to replace them, and by trimming about 130 corporate jobs.

Its shares rose 3 percent in morning trading.

Circuit City, the nation's No. 2 consumer electronics retailer behind Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE:BBY) , the store workers being laid off were earning 'well above the market-based salary range for their role.' They will be replaced with employees who will be paid at the current market range, the company said in a news release.

'We are taking a number of aggressive actions to improve our cost and expense structure, which will better position us for improved and sustainable returns in today's marketplace,' Philip J. Schoonover, Circuit City's chief executive, said in a statement.

The Richmond-based company also plans to outsource its information-technology infrastructure operations to International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) , a move that is expected to cut IT expenses by more than 16 percent. About 50 of Circuit City's IT workers will move to jobs with IBM and remain on the Circuit City contract. The other 80 corporate positions will be cut.

Reuters reports, the number of U.S. workers claiming first-time jobless benefits fell 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 328,000 last week, slightly lower than Wall Street expectations.

But the four-week moving average for initial claims, a better look at the underlying trend, rose to 339,000, which is the highest since the week of October 29, 2005, when it was also 339,000.

There were no special factors, such as weather, affecting the data last week, the U.S. Labor Department said.

Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted initial claims would drop to 330,000 in the week ended March 3, from the prior week's unrevised 338,000.

The number of workers filing for continuing claims fell 98,000 in the week ended February 24 to 2.55 million, following a 118,000 jump the prior week.

Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted this number would decline to 2.59 million.

(Reuters) - Retailer Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS - news), seeking to focus on problems at its two main apparel chains, said on Monday it would shut down its newest chain, Forth & Towne, a move that will affect about 550 employees.

The company expects pretax expenses of $40 million for the closure of the 19 Forth & Towne stores in 10 U.S. markets. The expenses will be recognized over the first and second quarters.
Forth & Towne, designed to appeal to women between the ages of 35 and 50, was launched in August 2005. The stores featured larger, centrally located dressing rooms and were stocked with accessories, including handbags and shoes, to help women put together full outfits and drive impulse purchases.

"We made the tough decision to close the brand and focus our efforts on stabilizing the existing businesses," Robert Fisher, Gap chairman and interim chief executive, said in a statement.

Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer, reports that the number of laid-off workers filing for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week after having been driven higher the previous week by storm-related layoffs.

The Labor Department reported that applications for jobless benefits totaled 332,000 last week, down by 27,000 from the previous week.

The prior week jobless claims had jumped by 46,000, the biggest one-week increase since September 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Part of that big increase occurred because of winter storms that boosted layoffs in such industries as construction.

Peter Jackson, Associated Press Writer, writes that Hershey plans to cut work force by 1,500.

A day after Valentine sweethearts across the country enjoyed bags of Hershey Kisses, the company on Thursday announced a restructuring plan that will scale back its work force by 1,500 jobs and force some plants to close.

Hershey said the three-year blueprint would reduce the number of production lines by more than one-third while saving the company as much as $190 million a year.

People’s Daily Online reports that DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group said Wednesday it would lay off about 13,000 workers under a restructuring plan aimed at cutting costs and returning its U.S. operations to profitability by next year.

The company also said it would close its Newark, Delaware, assembly plant, and reduce shifts at plants in Warren, Michigan, and St. Louis. A parts distribution center near Cleveland will be closed as well.

Under the plan, Chrysler Group will cut 11,000 production workers over the next three years, and 2,000 salaried jobs this year and in 2008.

Alana Semuels, Times Staff Writer, says that MTV will bring their focus online, which means job cuts.

Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks will cut 250 jobs nationwide to focus more on faster growing digital entertainment, according to an internal memo circulated Monday.

The layoffs represent about 6% of the company's 4,500 worldwide workforce, and are expected to cut across the company's operations. MTV Networks operates well-known television channels such as Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV and Spike TV.

"These moves are necessary to best align us for the future," MTV Networks Chief Executive Judy McGrath said in a memo.

Ben Dobbin, AP Business Writer, reports on Kodak’s layoffs.

Eastman Kodak Co. said Thursday it is cutting as many as 3,000 more jobs as it completes a historic, four-year transformation this fall into a digital-imaging company focused on consumer photography and commercial printing.

On top of 25,000 to 27,000 layoffs targeted since 2004, Kodak is reducing its payroll even further to accommodate last month's $2.35 billion sale of its health-imaging unit.
"The dream was that we would wake up in 2008 with the digital company that we want to have. We're still right on that track," Antonio Perez, Kodak's chief executive, said at an annual meeting of Kodak analysts and institutional investors.

Hannah Clark for Forbes.com says, You’re fired. Now what?

Kevin Rollins can't be feeling good about himself. After two years at the helm of PC maker Dell, he resigned last week, and founder Michael Dell took the CEO job. Rollins' story is an old one: The founding entrepreneur retires, and the new chief executive just can't make the company work. Robert Nardelli, the recently-ousted chief of Home Depot, also struggled when he took over from the company's co-founder, Arthur Blank, in late 2000.

But Rollins and Nardelli can both recover, says Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, co-author of Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters. When leaders suffer a setback--say, an embarrassing ouster--they need to admit they messed up, Sonnenfeld says. Then they should take a step back and choose an opportunity that actually fits their skills.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Total new claims for U.S. jobless compensation jumped a larger-than-expected 36,000 last week, a government report showed Thursday.
The Labor Department said 325,000 workers filed new claims for state unemployment insurance benefits in the holiday-shortened week that ended Jan. 20, up from a revised 289,000 claims a week earlier.

A Labor Department spokesman said there were no special factors behind the rise but noted that seasonal factors associated with year-end holidays were still at play
The number of new claims was far higher than the 305,000 anticipated by private economists after an original reading of 290,000 in the week ended Jan. 13.

(AP) DES MOINES, Iowa An administrative judge has denied unemployment benefits to a woman who was fired from her job for keeping a journal detailing her efforts to avoid work.

Emmalee Bauer, 25, of Elkhart, was employed by the Sheraton hotel company as a sales coordinator in Des Moines. While on the job, she kept a handwritten journal. A supervisor told her to stop writing on company time, but instead, Bauer wrote her journal, all 300 single-spaced pages, on her work computer.

Unemployment rates for Hispanics are approximately a point higher than those for the population as a whole. A closer look at this demographic shows that unemployment rates for Hispanic women are slightly higher than those for Hispanic men – approximately a point higher – while unemployment rates for Hispanic youths (ages 16 to 19) are considerably higher than for adults of both genders. Andrea Lehman reports for HispanicBusiness.com.

Report from employment consulting firm says heavy job cuts in auto industry and expected overall slowdown in economy behind uptick.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Planned U.S. layoffs increased 11 percent in November from the previous month, led by a heavy round of job cuts in the automotive industry, an independent report showed Tuesday.
Announced layoffs totaled 76,773 in November, up from 69,177 in October but down from 99,279 a year earlier, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an employment consulting firm.

CNNMoney.com ranks unemployment rates by state.

The national unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in October, well below the forecast that it would remain at the 4.6 percent level seen in September. It is the lowest level of unemployment since May 2001. The state numbers below are for October and were released on Nov. 21.

Where does your state rank?

Eric Horng for ABC News reports that 38,000 union members accepted early retirement or a buyout from Ford Motors.

Ford, which has seen years of slumping sales, offered eight buyout packages ranging from $35,000 to $140,000 based on seniority and age of the worker.
Some of the plans provided health insurance, a portion of the worker's pay, and partial payment of college tuition.

CNNMoney.com says in spite of the jump in jobless claims, Labor Department figures still indicate a healthy labor market.

The number of U.S. workers applying for jobless benefits increased by an unexpectedly steep 12,000 last week to 321,000, government data showed Wednesday, but remained at levels still pointing to a healthy labor market.
The latest figures from the Labor Department cover the week ending Nov. 18 and compare with Wall Street forecasts for claims of 310,000. This compares with a revised 309,000 the week before, which was initially reported as 308,000 applications for aid.

Reuters reports that the unemployment rate was the lowest since May 2001.

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to a 5-1/2 year low in October as 92,000 jobs were added and hiring in the two prior months was revised up, the government said on Friday, leading financial markets to slash bets on interest-rate cuts.

Reuters reported that the number of U.S. workers applying for jobless benefits rose by 8,000 last week to 308,000, in line with expectations and still pointing to a relatively healthy job market, a government report on Thursday showed.

Business Weekly reports that AOL will begin layoffs

America Online has announced it will be closing its Albuquerque call center in mid-December, laying off all 900 of its employees, as part of the Internet giant's restructuring plan.
Employees were handed layoff notices earlier this morning, confirming what had been rumored for months.
AOL's parent company, Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), had signaled earlier this year that it intended to reduce by 75 percent, or about 5,000 employees, its international workforce over the next few years, mainly in the call center and customer service divisions. In May, it announced it would be laying off 1,300 employees and closed its call center in Jacksonville, Fla. Other job cuts were made at its Tucson and Ogden, Utah call centers

Boston.com reports that Aetna Inc. announced Thursday it will lay off about 650 workers, including 200 in in management posts. The action is partly to reduce administrative expenses, the insurer said in a statement.
The layoffs, 280 of which will be in Connecticut, account for about 2 percent of the company's work force.

Reuters reports:

Planned U.S. layoffs surged 54 percent in September from the previous month, the first time since January that monthly job cuts exceeded 100,000, an independent report showed on Tuesday.

New study shows CEOs rewarded for layoff decisions; CEOs of layoff firms received more stock-based compensation after layoffs.

Publishers Weekly reports that there will be layoffs for McGraw-Hill Education of the School Solutions Group’s New York production operation.

The layoffs are rumored to effect 100 or more fulltime employees as well as project managers, workers who are not technically full-time staff but still receive benefits. Mary Skafidas, a spokesperon for MHE, confirmed that there have been staff "reductions," but declined to confirm a specific figure.

A spokesperson for MHE said the new unit is aimed at marketing products to school systems that want to track student achievement from pre-k straight through high school.

Journal Register Co. said Wednesday it will cut 82 jobs at newspapers in Michigan -- a measure that will save $3.2 million a year.

Journal Register (NYSE:JRC) said it was reacting to the Michigan economy, which has been hit by the slowdown in the auto industry. Advertising revenues for the company are down more in Michigan than they are in other regions. Advertising revenue is down throughout the industry as newspapers contend with dropping circulation and compete with online advertising.

Journalist Scott Rosenthal covered a recent lecture given by author Larry Uchitelle for The Cornell Daily Sun.

Uchitelle says that “Both the size and importance of layoffs in corporate America have changed how we perceive layoffs as a strategy for management, and have caused psychological damage to millions.”

In an Op-Ed piece for The Detroit News, Bill Kalmar writes that employers’ loyalty to workers is lacking. From September through December, employees often discover that lack of loyalty by being shown the door.

For some, the trauma of packing one's belongings in cardboard boxes and being escorted out of the building by security guards is diminished by accepting a voluntary buyout. This is what Ford Motor Co. is offering its 75,000 unionized workers in the hope that at least 30,000 will accept.

Ford Motor announced two new plant closures and said it would slash a third of its white-collar workforce. That's 10,000 positions. The embattled automaker aims to cut annual costs by about $5 billion by the end of 2008. Ford is also offering buyouts to its 75,000 union workers, hoping 30,000 of them will accept. The automaker is also suspending its dividend, a blow to the founding Ford family.

Financially strapped Air America Radio acknowledged Thursday, after star commentator Al Franken said publicly that his paycheck had stopped coming, that it had suffered a small number of layoffs but insisted there were no plans for the liberal talk show network to declare bankruptcy.

The Business Journal reports Layoffs for Qwest Communications

Qwest Communications International Inc. is laying off 360 workers from its operations center in central Phoenix.
The job cuts are coming in the areas of customer service, sales and collections. The telecommunications company Wednesday informed impacted workers of the coming layoffs.
The customer service and sales service layoffs will occur in December and the collections cuts will happen in February.