Signs Of The Times: Caterpillar, Sprint, and Harley-Davidson

Not good news.

Harley-Davidson to Cut Over 1,000 Jobs - WSJ.com: "Harley-Davidson Inc. said it will cut about 1,100 jobs, or about 11% of its work force, over the next two years, as the motorcycle builder's fourth-quarter net income slumped due to continued woes at its financial-services unit and weak demand."

Big Companies Shed Jobs - BusinessWeek: "On a single day, tens of thousands of jobs are eliminated at Caterpillar, Sprint Nextel, Pfizer, Home Depot, and General Motors."

Laid Off And Looking - WSJ.com : Nowadays, an M.B.A. Doesn't Equal Job Security: "Like many M.B.A.s, I am one of the millions who returned to school after a dozen years climbing the corporate ladder with only a bachelor’s degree. I thought my M.B.A. would give me an edge. I thought the combination of the degree and my years of workplace success would be a sort of Holy Grail for job security and advancement. Now I wonder if I was just naive–or if the workplace has truly changed."

Caterpillar to Cut 20,000 Jobs as Downturn Worsens - WSJ.com: "The global economic picture continued to darken as Caterpillar Inc. said it would lay off 20,000 employees while projecting steep declines in its sales and profit in the coming year."

Sprint to lay off 8,000 by April: "January 26, 2009 (IDG News Service) Sprint Nextel Corp. today said that it will lay off about 8,000 workers by April within 'all levels' of the company."