A new Forester Research report said that hiring freezes, staff reductions or pay and benefit cuts top the list of how to save money in this lengthy recession.

It should come as no surprise that when it comes to belt-tightening, the workers are the first to face cutbacks.

The survey found a number of disturbing trends:

• More than 60 percent of those surveyed plan to cut staff in 2009.
• More than 50 percent of firms plan to cut staff salaries.

Among the 1,250 SMBs surveyed, more than half of the IT departments will keep the same headcount as in 2008, but about 30 percent plan to cut staff.

Regardless of your place in the IT universe, the message to everyone is run things efficiently and make sure that not a dime is spent unless it is necessary.

For more on budget trends:
- check out this ComputerWorld.com article

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