LAWRENCE: How I saved the economy

OPINION:

I recently changed jobs. The new position provided the opportunity to work with a world-class team and offered greater growth potential. It is a great position. The new position is not funded by federal stimulus money, but I know my actions saved or created jobs for others in this difficult economy. Therefore, I have estimated the impact on the economy to help the current administration keep an accurate accounting of the number of jobs saved or created:

New job created (my new position):

1

Jobs saved: Replacement for me at my old company (good luck to that poor slob - I give that person three months and unemployment will look better and better):

1

People in the human resources department who helped with processing at the new company. Jobs saved in HR:

2

People in the accounting department who processed my direct-deposit request. There are actually five people in the department. I am not sure which one processed my direct-deposit request. Therefore, I assume I saved jobs for all five:

5

The company provides medical insurance through Aetna. By selecting medical insurance, I helped save jobs for employees at Aetna. I am not sure exactly who processes my medical insurance claims. Therefore, I assume my actions saved jobs throughout the entire company. Jobs saved at Aetna:

30,000

The company provides a 401(k) plan administered by Fidelity. I chose to participate in the plan. Therefore, I saved jobs for Fidelity Investments. (Note: I already saved jobs for the accounting department when I completed the direct-deposit request. I did not include the five accounting employees in this total because that could have inflated the total). Jobs saved at Fidelity:

47,000

I was required to complete a W-2 form to estimate tax withholdings. I tried to opt out of tax withholdings. My argument was that if the federal government was not going to enforce certain laws (such as immigration), couldn’t I assume tax law also was going to be ignored? My accountant and lawyer (included in total) wisely instructed me to not make that assumption. Jobs saved at the Internal Revenue Service:

115,002

I had to complete other forms at the new company and mail those forms to various parties. Those forms were mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. Jobs saved or created at the Postal Service:

596,000

The new company has a much more professional dress code than my old one. Goodbye, polo shirts and khaki pants; hello, suits and ties. Therefore, I had to purchase a few new suits. Jobs saved or created at Brooks Brothers:

3,500

I needed new shoes to go with the new suits. Sandals, even black ones, did not go with new power suits. Jobs saved or created at Nordstrom:

46,200

I had to purchase new socks so the shoes fit comfortably. Jobs saved or created at Target:

351,000

Total number of jobs saved or created:

1,188,711

(Note: Employee totals were obtained from Google search. The calculation above does not include the number of jobs saved at Google (6,000) and the job of Internet inventor Al Gore.

By taking a new position, I saved or created 1,188,711 jobs. If the economy can generate just 10 more jobs, an additional 10 million positions will be saved or created. I did my part to save the economy. I am sure other employers will ramp up hiring to get the economy moving again.

Chris Lawrence is an executive in the technology industry.