Scary times, no doubt.  With jobs being lost across the board and bankruptcies skyrocketing throughout our recession-riddled nation, the question remains -- how bad will 2009 be?

According to an article in today's Press, researchers at Rutgers University assert that job losses will be "relatively small" in New Jersey with a turnaround in early 2010.

In the semi-annual Rutgers Economic Advisory Service forecast released Wednesday, researchers wrote that forecasts indicate the recession in New Jersey will " not be as bad  as it is in the nation, primarily because of the way (the state's) economy is structured."

New Jersey's manufacturing sector is not particularly large -- making up about 7 percent of the state's economy.  The country, however, is more dependent on a successful manufacturing sector.

On a darker note, the Labor Department announced Wednesday that the unemployment rate in December for New Jersey was at 7.1 percent, contributing to the loss of some 60,000 jobs in 2008. The U.S. rate in December was only 7.2 percent!

What do you think?  Are good times ahead in 2009 in NJ?  Yeah or Neah?  Why or why not?