The US Labor Market, Layoffs, and the American Dream

As I continue to follow the various headlines announcing major layoffs across various sectors, I can't help but wonder why it is that US Labor Laws have perpetuated the ever-present reality of layoffs. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers are not required to provide an employee with notice of termination or layoff. Yes, there are exceptions to mass layoffs, however, seeing how Twitter was able to lay off thousands in one day (without notice, and in fact after numerous denials by Musk), I'm forced to believe corporate loopholes are, as always, ever-present. It is true, employees are at-will as are employers, and yet, knowing I would "burn a bridge" if I walked out of a job, I as a meager employee would most likely never consider walking out without notice; my job history and future job seeking depend on it!

Cutting 10s, 100s, or 1000s of employees before you report Q4 numbers just to maintain the status quo. Forcing people to search for a means to a living over and over and over again against their will, while Executives earn millions per year. This has now become our culture in the United States, a country my family immigrated to for the sole purpose of a better life.

Statistically, I can understand layoffs from a business standpoint: Profits vs. Losses; Expenditures vs. Income. However, it seems that, specifically in the US, layoffs have become a part of our culture as a society. Here I use the term "society" loosely, as I am actually speaking on corporations. Corporate America has always been portrayed as a means to live the "American Dream", but, it seems the American Dream is strictly reserved for the top percentage of those in Corporate America, while the ones performing the labor itself are deemed disposable.

Yes, layoffs occur in every country, and since 2008 have become the norm across all business sectors. But, maybe as the leading country in industry and GDP, the question we should ask ourselves is: Why is this acceptable in the US as the norm?

#people #corporations #jobseeking #layoffs #americandream