If you're worried that the daily dose of bad news about the economy could impact your next paycheck, you're not alone.
More than 2 of 3 respondents to a recent Yahoo! poll believe their job is in jeopardy due to the current economic slowdown.
While you never can be completely prepared to lose your livelihood, there are certain signs that may indicate that your job could be at risk.
Your Performance Assessment
First, ask yourself some tough questions about your role at work, recommends business coach and author Mary Key. Your answers will provide good indicators.
The questions include: What would be the impact of your departure? What kind of ROI (return on investment) is your employer getting from your performance? Have you gotten positive reviews? Do you get along with coworkers? Can your skills translate to other positions within the firm?
"If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, or if you have some responses that might be negative, your job may be on the chopping block in a downturn," says Key, who heads the leadership practice for i4cp www.i4cp.com, The Institute for Corporate Productivity, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Time's Not on Your Side
Having extra time for two-hour lunches, marathon computer games, and multiple instant-message chats with loved ones doesn't bode well for a long future in your current position.
"If you were once a busy professional and now work is being taken away and given to someone else, or you're not being assigned new work, you should start asking some questions," says life and career coach Annemarie Segaric.
Where Have All the Clients Gone?
If the new business team seems to be spinning its wheels, as major clients jump ship and they are not replaced, your job could be on the hit list.
"There is only so long that your boss can be giving you busy work," says Roberta Chinsky Matuson, president of Northampton, Massachusetts-based Human Resource Solutions. "Eventually, his boss will catch on, and it will be time to go."
Experienced Workers Need Not Apply
Warning: Your company starts posting openings for entry-level workers, without announcing new initiatives or experiencing a mass exodus of employees.
"This is a clear sign that they are trying to cut payroll costs by hiring less experienced people," Matuson says. "It won't be long before you receive the pink slip."
The Risk of Mergers
If bad times drive your company to merge with a rival, start polishing your resume, advises Kevin Steele, president of The Winter, Wyman Companies.
"In almost all cases, there are many employees whose job responsibilities are duplicated by someone at the acquiring company, and, in an effort to cut costs and maximize ROI, the acquiring company will usually move quickly to eliminate the overlap," Steele says.
Friends in Similar Places
When friends or others you know who have equivalent jobs in the same or a related industry begin to suffer layoffs, know that you could be next.
"Layoffs happen in waves," says Segaric, author of "107 Tips for Changing Your Career While Still Paying the Bills." "What goes on in other companies can be used as a barometer for what is happening in the industry as a whole."