Westinghouse Electric eliminating 665 jobs worldwide!  It will include layoffs at its Pennsylvania HQ. The company blames it on a decreased demand for nuclear power, caused by the March 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan, which is still not resolved.

Corporate information provider, Thomson Reuters, announced 2500 layoffs!  Company officials blame about half the layoffs on the sale of its Corporate Services division to NASDAQ,  the other layoffs are being blamed on the bad economy.  Company officials actually expect better profits for 2013, but apparently profits won’t be good enough to justify keeping people employed.

Another video game maker going down?  Reports saying that VALVe will layoff employees. Possibly 25 people will lose their jobs, including their director of business.  VALVe is controversial as it claims that there are no managers, and employees are free to do what they think is best. One economist said the layoffs might involve employees who can not handle working without a manager looking over their shoulder:  “In many occasions people simply don’t fit in not because they’re not productive or good people, but because they just can’t function very well in a boss-less environment.”-Yanis Varoufakis

Wisconsin based Sensient Technologies laying off more than 200 employees in Europe and North America. They want to consolidate operations in the name of being more efficient (aka making more profits for investors).

In New York, It’s a Dog’s World to shut down at the end of March. The Ditmas Park pet store owner didn’t give a reason, but it sounds like it caught her by surprise because she had placed new orders for the store.  Also, Utica City School District wants to layoff 88 employees.  This on top of all previous layoffs (which total 240).  The school district is short $5.5 million USD!

Duke Corporate Education to layoff employees worldwide: “We need to reshape our workforce in the U.S.A. and Europe….Like many businesses these days, we need to take steps to realign our workforce with our new global footprint.”-Mike Canning, CEO

Colorado based Precision Castparts to layoff 77 steelworkers at the former Timet titanium Plant in Toronto, Ohio.   The company took over the plant in January.

Netherlands based ING Financial laying off 2400 people worldwide!  The company was just hit with a $1.2 million fine for not maintaining company/employee emails as per U.S. regulations.  ING has a history of being fined for violating regulations.  Also, a former adviser with ING and Allstate was bared from doing business in Florida.

In Hawaii, California based Eclipse Development Group laid off 100 employees! Company officials blame a stalled shopping center project.  The project was halted by State Land Use Commission, which claims the project was not what was originally planned in the 1995 re-zoning.

In Florida, MDT Personnel will layoff almost all its Clearwater employees by April. The temporary employment agency was taken over by a competitor.

Guilford County, North Carolina facing “major” layoffs. The County is $1 billion in debt!

In Los Angeles, California,  Babycakes NYC vegetarian bakery closing down.  Company officials basically said there was only room for one Babycakes in Los Angeles.  The consideration of bakeries is an effort to make more profits.

In Virginia, Too Big to Jail HSBC to eliminate 164 call center jobs!  The call center is part of HSBC’s card services, which it sold off to another Too Big to Jail, Capital One.

Glass maker Viracon is closing down its Saint George, Utah, operations by April. 200 jobs lost!  Company officials say they might re-open the factory two years from now, depending on the so called recovery of the economy.

In Minnesota, Edward Jones Mortgage out-o-business.  214 people out-o-work! The company had a contract with Wells Fargo, but Wells Fargo recently canceled it.

Defense contractor, ITT Exelis, closing its West Springfield, Maryland, factory by the end of June.  200 employees out-o-work!  The factory makes the power supplies for night vision goggles.  Company officials said the closing is because the U.S. military is planning big spending cuts, on top of the automatic ‘sequestration’ cuts.

The Rug Importer in New Jersey, closing down.  The owners blame the bad economy coupled with internet competition.

In Tennessee, family owned Henco Furniture closing down.  The longtime owner says none of his kid want to take over the business.  He doesn’t blame them as sales have decreased and government regulations and taxes have increased: “It really does dampen you’re enthusiasm to put up with taxation and regulation to build a business.”-Tom Hendrix

In Illinois, a Blockbuster video store closing in Buffalo Grove. Also, in Mount Morris Donegan’s Do-it-Best hardware store shutting down at the end of March. The owner blames the bad economy: “The sales have just not been enough to make a living. I’ve tried to do everything I can to keep it going.”-Roseann Donegan

The Life of the Party costume shop in Fort Collins, Colorado, closed down.  The owner retired and was hoping someone would buy the store.

In Tucson, Arizona, the 20 years old 17th Street Farmers Market closed.  Company officials are focusing on their other divisions.

The Refectory, a nightclub in Portland, Oregon, closed after 35 years.  30 employees out-o-work.  Essentially the property owner kicked the nightclub out.