In fairness this is just what I’m seeing and I know its tough for a lot of job fields so I don’t want to minimize that but I think the IT field is one of the harbingers for broader issues. I’ve been hiring IT people for over a decade and this is the worst I’ve seen it. This past round the number of applicants for a position has surged from a historical average of around ~40 to 90-200. Previously I might only interview 1 person who’d been downsized, RIF’d etc. For one of my positions last week it was almost 50%. Almost all the candidates are obviously stressed, even the ones with jobs. And we’re getting way more people willing to relocate than ever before from all over the country (we have some work that actually does have to be done in person). IT staff are typically over worked and over stressed because companies are reluctant to hire more than strictly necessary as IT is often seen as a ‘cost center’. So if companies are firing this many IT people – its a bad sign. And the backgrounds are all over the place. I’ve noticed concentrations in the past (IT people from financial companies, auto companies etc) but its everywhere now.