As Amazon, Citigroup and Google open 2024 with layoffs, experts say unemployed workers should take these steps

The start of 2024 has not been kind to workers in industries that opened the year with layoffs.

Google has cut several hundred jobs in its central engineering, hardware and assistant teams. Amazon is shedding hundreds of positions across its Prime Video, MGM Studios, Twitch livestreaming and Audible divisions.

Tech is not the only sector to make headlines for job cuts. Citigroup is cutting 10% of its workforce amid a corporate overhaul.

Recent U.S. Department of Labor data shows layoffs have been hovering near historic lows — and experts say getting laid off no longer has the same stigma it once did.

“Being let go from a job is not as taboo as it once was years ago,” said Scott Dobroski, career trends expert at Indeed.

“There’s a variety of changes going on in the world of work. There have been a number of layoffs across the nation,” he said.

The following steps can help you shore up your finances and kick-start your job search.

You may receive a severance package from your employer or get paid for unused time off. Keep in mind that such time may be prorated based on the time of year, rather than your full annual allotment.

Find out when you might get your last paycheck and how the pay schedule works to better gauge the size of that deposit, advised Ted Jenkin, a certified financial planner and CEO of oXYGen Financial, a financial advisory and wealth management firm based in Atlanta. Jenkin is also a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council.

If you’re able to find a new job quickly, you may be able to bank the severance pay, he noted.

Also be sure to file for unemployment benefits right away, because getting approved can take weeks.

Now is a great time to get in any doctor’s appointments you need to make if you still have your employer-provided plan and flexible spending account, and before COBRA kicks…