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This website is a volunteer effort to provide a curated list of resources in support of our fellow tech workers. The first version is US-centric. Want to contribute or add a page for your country? Get in touch with us by emailing Suggestions@LaidOffTechWorker.com!
You are Not Alone
Take care of yourself
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How to talk to Family and Friends
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Find Community
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See also Public Resources for Former Employees of Specific Tech Companies below.
Taking Stock
Financial Situation
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Health Insurance
Don't wait until your health insurance runs out to make a plan. Don't go without health insurance!! Here are the main options:
- Spousal coverage: if your spouse works at a job that provides health insurance, this will very often be the best option for you, because it is usually subsidized by their employer and covers a pool of people who are healthy enough to work.
- COBRA: when your employer stops subsidizing the health plan that they offered you, you will often have the option to keep the plan, but pay the full bill yourself. This is often the first time people realize how expensive health insurance is. It generally can be continued up to 18 months; then you will need to use another option on this list. It is worth comparison-shopping against the Marketplace, below.
- Health Insurance Marketplace: Since 2014 all private insurance in the US must be offered equally to everyone -- price differences are only due to amount of coverage offered, the insured's age, and whether they smoke. Ehealthinsurance.com is a good national site that lets you search and compare plans in your area (click "Individuals and Family"). The two most important numbers to compare are monthly premium and annual out-of-pocket maximum (how much you could spend if you had a major health issue, it is the deductible plus the maximum coinsurance amount). Wikipedia has a good overview of subsidies available based on income.
- Temporary Health Insurance: is not available in California (2018 law). In most other states, it can be bought for 6-18 months if you are healthy (insurers will probably reject you if you are obese, pregnant, have diabetes, HIV, etc.), and it can be a decent option if you are confident you will be able to get coverage after the insurance expires. It is generally cheaper than "real" health insurance because if you do get a major condition, they only have to cover your expenses for the term (6-18mo). Warning: if you elect this option, you may have trouble getting coverage for any pre-existing conditions that you develop during this period after the temporary insurance expires. You can use Ehealthinsurance.com to to search for these policies.
- Medicaid and Medicare: won't be available for most people reading this. Medicare is for people over 65 years old. Medicaid eligibility varies by state; in California you must earn less than $1564/month and hold less than $130,000 in assets to be eligible as a single person.
Health insurance costs the same whether you buy it direct from the insurer, through another website, or through a broker. If you have questions, use Yelp to search for a reputable health insurance broker near you.
Unemployment Benefits
California: https://edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/. The maximum benefit is $450/wk ($23k/yr).
Select your state here for other states (linked from https://www.usa.gov/unemployment).
Your Skills
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The Economy
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Your Network
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Job Hunting
[WIP...]
Spearfishing, not Net Fishing
If you are more than a few years/promotions in to your tech career, you will likely have more success and less emotional drain from targeting a handful of jobs that are highly relevant to you, ideally via personal connections, than pasting your resume all over the internet.
Add yourself to Recruiter Lists
These can be particularly helpful for junior employees.
Layoffs.fyi has "Lists of Employees Laid Off" that links to Google Sheets where you can add your name.
See also Public Resources for Former Employees of Specific Tech Companies below.
Startup Starting
[WIP...]
If you have a significant financial runway (see above), an appetite for risk, and a good cofounder(s), a recession can be a good time to start a startup. A starting point: get a founding team of 2-3 who have similar dedication and risk appetite, who together cover engineering and marketing skills, and each of whom you would trust to treat you fairly if the company ended up valuable and that person ended up with full control. Do still write up your intended ownership structure and responsibilities.
Immigration and Visas
[To be written. Want to volunteer?]
Public Resources for Former Employees of Specific Tech Companies
Join the Tweeps - Twitter Employees and Alumni on LinkedIn.
Meta
Join the Employees @ Meta Group on LinkedIn.
Ex-Meta Talent is building semi-private and public lists of laid-off employees.
Uber
Join the Uber Employees & Alumni Group on LinkedIn.
Help Your Fellow Tech Workers Out!
If you've made it this far, and want to contribute to this website, please get in touch to volunteer with us!