I am in psychology, so there is not the greatest potential to go into industry, as even the mosic basic of applied jobs has hundreds of applicants, requires specific experience etc. There are a few research/ civil service jobs I have considered but even these require some further preparation to be in with a realistic chance of getting something with a future.

I also dread reading about the reduction in HE jobs in the Guardian and THES, but see this as partly inevitable. In the US there are huge moves to make HE run on adjunct staff that are never going to be given lecturers jobs, but held on short term contracts forever. If that is the way things are going over here, I am definitely leaving.

Regarding my PI I am starting to think he may even be blocking my attempts to get another job, as to my face he says he is very happy with my work/ contribution, that the lab couldnt run without me etc. BUT to a potential future PI he has sent some quite dismissive emails regarding myself (he really shouldn't compulsively print out his emails, or at least delete the previous emails when he does so). Yet again, there is nothing that the dirty politics of academia cannot intrude into.
Needless to say, I think I am done. I would rather go on job seekers allowance than stay trapped in near minimum wage (across the 60 hour week I do) bondage to someone who has no interest in my future career.

Just a few weeks now

They're already going in my university. About 100 designated for 'deletion' so far, at all levels from support staff to senior academics. Courses that aren't recruiting well enough or don't fit the college 'vision' are being integrated into others, with an attendant loss of staff. It's quite a ruthless cull, compared to past years. It's a worrying time to be finishing a PhD and ending up on the jobs market, though you just have to get on and publish or whatever else you can do, I suppose.

'Deletion'...well that's a nice word for it. :-(

Badhaircut, I read somewhere that some US universities are making the unprecedented move of laying-off tenured professors, but we must remember the US system is mostly private and more 'sensitive' to economic changes. It's not uncommon for universities to go bust in the US (but then if we get a Tory government, we'll probably have a few universities going bust here too).

From my further investigations it seems really tough around London at the moment, where everyone is fearful about hiring anyone external. Plus things like the risk of London Met possibly going under, there seems to be no money around anywhere.

I have had a bit of a think and I will try to play hardball with my PI for more money or a better offer, while keeping my eyese open to future possibilities elsewhere. With my snooping and a few talks to some of my admin based friends, I reckon he needs me more than I need him. Has anyone else had experience of negotiating better conditions with their PI? Any tips would be appreciated.