Not the best of times for Conejo Valley

While cold hard statistics say unemployment is down, the numbers are meaningless to Amgen and Countrywide workers who will soon be handed their final paychecks and, if they're lucky, severance pay.

In the case of Amgen, the company is offering a voluntary transition program that gives cash and possibly other incentives to certain eligible workers. While no severance package could totally soften the blow to soon-to-be former employees, at least Amgen is trying to be kind.

It reminds us of a pharmaceutical sales representative we once knew. His territory was merged with that of another sales rep as part of a retrenching effort. ("Retrenching" and "restructuring," by the way, are politically correct and watered-down synonyms for people losing their jobs.)

Back to our drug salesman. His company's severance package was so generous that he said, "I can't afford to keep working." He was, of course, just being sarcastic. Nobody wants to lose their job.

Some companies try to be compassionate. They stand in stark contrast to several mega-corporations that laid off tens of thousands of workers a few years ago. Then their CEOs were awarded huge bonuses, based on profits generated from the reduced payroll.

Nobody said life was fair.

Our hearts go out to those who have lost or will be losing their jobs. We hope they are gainfully employed again as soon as possible.

Until final decisions are made at Amgen and Countrywide, nobody knows the local impact.

There's no sugarcoating it. Any job losses will be felt, not only by the workers themselves, but also by providers of goods and services these employees will no longer buy.

The city and the business community will feel the impact. The question isn't whether it will hurt.

The question is, how much?