Layoff announcements in the energy sector have fallen back lately. Lower oil prices have proven to be more of a bane than a boon for the U.S. economy. But that is about to change. When the price of crude started dropping sharply last fall, most economists reckoned it would be a good thing . Sure, U.S. oil production had boomed due to the shale revolution, but the country was (and is) still a net importer of petroleum products. So, the thinking went, the losses from lower investment and lost jobs in the shale basins would be more than offset by the extra money that got spent on American goods and services rather than foreign oil. Things haven’t actually worked out that way. Rather, the sharp decline in drilling activity has led to a drop in investment and a weakening in the jobs market that […]