Postdocs in US (What's the effect of the recession?)

[rsq_a]

I'll be seeking a postdoc position in the US next year (likely to begin in 2011) in Applied Maths. I'm currently in Britain (Canadian citizenship), and I'm curious what effect has the recession had (and will have) on the number of postdoc offerings.

I was over in the US for a conference last month and had a few chats with people there who mentioned that the recession did have a fairly strong impact on the number of faculty and postdoc positions. Will this pick up in a year?

I can't imagine it would be hard for me to find a postdoc in Britain (or Canada), just by virtue of my background and connections. The US is a bit of a wildcard.

 

[physics girl phd]

Most US national labs are getting pretty sizable amounts of stimulus money. This might help the post-doc situation some (if you can get clearance, and I think you could)... since I'd imagine those funds will have trickle-down effects. Those funds might be used before you're looking (unfortunately), but how this plays out over the next year or so will be interesting to see (will the stimulus money be used as one-time funds to cover budget shortfalls, or will it actually do its inteended purpose... stimulating the economy and providing for lasting economic "windfall" or even stability?).