GM has always treated contractors as second class citizens. By that I mean not necessarily in people relationships, but in earning a livelihood. Holidays in which contract houses don't recognize, but because GM is off, you must be off. Furlough July, December, Easter, Thanksgiving week, and any other time they just feel like it. By the end of the year, you are earning based upon about 10 months per year, and not earning for two. Any vcation time you might earn, has to be used just to salvage a partial paycheck when you don't work.
So with the unemployment deal, GM does it again. Not only do they layoff during Christmas, no companies hire for the next 2-3 months of the new year, essentially screwing every contractor. This coupled with ONLY five months of unemployment, makes finding a job extremely urgent and time sensitive. The new unemployment policies in place, are micromanagement magnified. There's so many more actions than in its prior existence from years ago.
Job hunting is a major pain. From application to interview, to job offer can take months. Companies are paranoid to find that ideal candidate, and never move quickly. If you lack a specific qualification, like a degree, expect to be excluded and filtered out almost right away. Even if you have decades of experience, you are no longer qualified. You can see the shift in the world, and it's not for the better. We are letting the everyone gets a trophy kids run the world.
What I have learned from decades at GM, is to save up your money for a rainy day. With this company, they are always, always, always guaranteed. You should have a minimum of one year saved as a layoff fund, and I'm very serious about that.
Good luck in your search. You are not alone. I anticipate there are many in the same boat as you find yourself today.