As many economists express optimism that the economy is turning around, the numbers paint a less rosy picture. In January, the unemployment rate hovered at 5.6%. It was a slight drop from the month before, but that was only because nearly one million Americans had given up on finding work. In January, the American economy lost nearly 90,000 jobs.

Whether or not the economy is about to turn a corner as many hope, there are tens of thousands of Americans dealing with having lost their jobs. From Enron VP’s to Ford factory workers in Michigan, hundreds of thousands of Americans at every level are coping with job loss.

This hour, living the laid-off life: the psychological, economic, and social toll that layoffs are taking on the daily lives of the casualties of America’s economic slowdown.

Guests:

Marcy Schorr Hirsch, management consultant at Hirsch Hills Associates in Newton, MA

Doug Dickson, Vice President of New Directions, Inc., a career counseling firm for senior executives