A report of unemployment statistics through the 3rd quarter of 2009, released this week, finds the architecture industry is the hardest hit by the continued recession.

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Job losses in the profession jumped 17.8 percent, bringing the total number of employed architects to 189,000 in the first three quarters of 2009, compared to 230,000 in the same period a year earlier, according to the BLS. I could not locate the original report on the BLS website, however MSNBC summarized the report.

For a region like Fresno who is dealing with higher than average unemployment rates, this new report begins to paint the picture of Fresno’s architecture industry. Personally, I know dozens of individuals at all levels that have been laid off. Several of them have been out of work for over 6 months, some even pursuing changes of career.

Of the local architecture firms, the large firms are struggling to keep as many employed and busy as possible, while the smaller firms are scrapping by with already lean staff.

Further illustrating the picture of architects, drafters, and other staff, I came across this Craigslist ad.

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I could not reach the above architect for comment. I was also laid off. Rather than waste time looking for a job that wasn’t there, along with a partner, we focused on launching our own practice. From what I’ve seen this is not as common a route locally, but it is in other metropolitan regions. There are even some unemployed architects coming up with innovative ideas such as John Morefield pictured below.
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What the future holds for these local businesses and architects is unknown. This trend does not show signs of turning around. Little help for the architecture industry is coming from federal stimulus money. This is due to the fact that the funding is going more toward infrastructure projects that don’t require architects and shovel ready projects that have already been designed.

The impact of these conditions on the Fresno’s built environment are yet to be seen.

For those in the architecture industry seeking advice, see Architetural Record’s Survival Guide