It looks like a falling tide sinks all boats.

Out-of-work Wall Street workers have been on the front pages for months. Auto workers at the Big Three have been struggling for years, and with GM and Chrysler on the verge of a possible bankruptcy and/or bailout their situation is also dire.

Now the so-called knowledge workers are feeling the pinch. Sony is cutting 16,000 workers, and Silicon Valley companies that initially resisted the swooning of the economy are looking to cut costs and shed entry-level positions. As Reuters reported on Tuesday, people in their 20s are finding a college degree is no longer their golden ticket to a dream job in high tech.

Any bright spots? It depends on how you look at it. Of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the only ones with stock prices higher than a year ago are Wal-Mart and McDonald’s.

So who is going to face the most job insecurity in 2009: Bankers, autoworkers, or techies?

Post your answer in the comments section, along with any first-hand stories of trouble in your industry.

The following financial services industry appointments were announced on Nov. 21, linked where possible to personal profiles on LinkedIn. To inform us of other job changes, please e-mail moves@thomsonreuters.com.

UBS AG

Ramesh Singh, the head of UBS AG’s asset-backed securities division has decided to step down, UBS CEO Jerker Johansson said in an internal memo. The asset-backed securities business at the Swiss banking giant will be reduced in scope. Replacing Singh, will be a group co-led by Bill Chandler, Jack McCleary and Jim Reichek.

OPPENHEIMER FUNDS, INC.

William F. Glavin, Jr. has been appointed chief executive officer of Oppenheimer Funds Inc. effective Jan. 1, 2009. He will replace John V. Murphy, currently chairman and CEO. Murphy will remain with the company and continue to serve as President and a director/trustee of each of the Oppenheimer funds until his retirement at year-end 2009. Glavin has served as Co-CEO of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (Mass Mutual), of which Oppenheimer Funds, Inc is a subsidiary, and Executive Vice- President and head of Mass Mutual’s U.S. Insurance Group.

THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

Jaime Caruana, currently Financial Counsellor and Director of the International Monetary Fund’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM), will leave the Fund in April 2009 to become General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Pending his departure, Mr. Caruana will continue to serve as Financial Counsellor, leading the Fund’s work on key financial sector issues, including the Global Financial Stability Report. No replacement has been named. Prior to assuming his post as Director of the MCM, Caruana was Governor of Banco de España, Spain’s central bank. In addition to serving on the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, he was also the Chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and, in that capacity, a member of the Financial Stability Forum.

WAL-MART STORES, INC.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc announced that Lee Scott will retire as the company’s chief executive early in 2009 and will be succeeded by Mike Duke, who currently heads Wal-Mart’s international operations. The company also promoted Eduardo Castro-Wright to company vice chairman, effective immediately. He is currently head of U.S. operations.

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 

The parent company of the HSBC Group named Rachel Lomax and John Thornton as directors effective Dec. 1. They will both be independent non-executive directors.Thornton, who was a non-executive director of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd earlier, has also been appointed a director and non-executive chairman of HSBC North America Holdings Inc with effect from Dec. 1. Lomax was deputy governor, Monetary Stability, at the Bank of England and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee earlier.

ABSA GROUP LTD

South Africa’s biggest retail bank appointed Maria Ramos as group chief executive effective March 1. Ramos is currently chief executive of South Africa’s state-owned rail and logistics group Transnet