After a wave of big companies announcing steep job cuts , many laid-off workers may face a financially difficult and uncertain period ahead .

Amazon said on Tuesday that it would eliminate around 14,000 corporate positions , and the United Parcel Service, or UPS , said it had reduced its operational workforce by 34,000 jobs this year . On Wednesday, General Motors laid off roughly 1,700 workers , and Paramount terminated 1,000 people . The Trump administration has also threatened to fire thousands of federal workers during the shutdown , but those efforts have been blocked so far in the courts.

"Now is a particularly challenging time to be unemployed," said Michele Evermore, senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance.

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