This week will be a rough week for a lot of our neighbors.

New Era Cap Co. announced massive — though temporary — layoffs affecting about 40 percent of its employees nationwide.

The Demopolis plant and the Jackson plant will be affected, as will the manufacturing plant in New York state.

It has been said that when the economy goes sour, the smaller towns will be the last to feel the pinch, and when the economy gets better, again, the smaller towns will be the last to know.

Although nationally, experts are saying the economy is on an upswing, in many ways, small-town areas like ours are still feeling the pinch of last year’s downturn.

The press release issued by New Era said that seasonal layoffs such as this are part of the company’s regular business cycle and attributes the global economic downturn to the reason behind the layoffs.

The numbers and reasons don’t matter much to those who are being affected by these layoffs, but we are hopeful — even confident — that things will turn back around for our New Era workers.

Major League Baseball and its fans are usually constant customers, and once the rest of the economy turns back around, they will be out buying baseball caps en masse.

Fortunately, New Era employees will be able to maintain their company benefits until things turn around.

We are all looking forward to the time when the economy is back on its feet and we don’t have to wait for the other shoe to drop.

To those who are out of work, keep trying, keep praying and keep a positive attitude. We are closer to the end of the tunnel than it seems.