Layoffs are hitting every segment of the economy, experts say, so no one is safe. Just two weeks ago, Polaroid Corp. and Samsonite Corp. each said they plan to cut several hundred jobs. SCI Systems Inc., an electronics contract manufacturer, said last week that it plans to cut about 3,800 jobs. Even officials at Cisco Systems, a leading technology company, noted that layoffs are possible, an action the company had vowed to avoid. Auto maker DaimlerChrysler, Amazon.com and media giant AOL Time Warner also have announced job cuts in recent months.

Layoffs are about finding employees with the skills needed to handle two or three times more work. These employees can easily pick up the extra workload that builds after co-workers leave. Employees who can be described as multi-specialists or as able to multi-task are automatically considered more valuable, [Eric Rolfe Greenberg] said.

In the meantime, Patrick Lennahan, director of the Career Center at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, said employees should be prepared to leave their jobs at any time. Lennahan recommends that employees update their resumes, organize portfolios and gather work samples in preparation for unanticipated cutbacks. "You have to be realistic," he said.