As many as 1,800 Democratic congressional staffers will soon lose their jobs, with layoffs hitting everyone from entry-level schedulers to six-figure committee lawyers in a mass exodus that will accompany the greatest congressional turnover in 70 years. 

While results are still being tallied in some races, the damage is clear for Democratic staffers. At least 60 seats have been lost, meaning those offices need to start packing their boxes to clear out in December. POLITICO estimated the likely layoffs based on the average number of staffers per House office, as well as the Democratic committee staffing level, which will most likely be slashed in half now that Democrats will be the minority party. 

“Tears were shed. We were absolutely disappointed that this is going to end,” said Todd Jurkowski, a spokesman for Florida Rep. Alan Grayson, who lost to Republican Daniel Webster. “We were good, and we were getting better.” 

Jurkowski said he has no job lined up and wants to help wind down the office. 

To be sure, most staffers come to Capitol Hill realizing their jobs are, by nature, ephemeral. Their vocations are tied to the whims of voters and the electability of their boss. But the 2010 wave will cause a giant turnover on Capitol Hill, where offices of Nov. 2 losers soon will fill with packing boxes and paper shredders will start humming. Most offices have to be empty by December to clear the way for the massive class of newcomers to be sworn into office in January. 

Last week, there were “counselors” making the rounds in some Democratic offices to not only offer advice on résumés and job hunting but also help with the emotional aspect of the losses. One section of a packet handed out to staffers dealt with the stages of grief. 

“It was like it was about death,” one staffer said. “It was bizarre.” 

Not everyone was expecting his or her bosses to lose. 

“It was a terrible shock,” said one longtime Democratic aide, a late-career congressional staffer. “The first thing I did was call my wife to give her the news. ... We’re not rich. I’m not as young as I used to be. I was not prepared for this personally; I was prepared for it happening to other people.” 

That concern is reverberating around the Hill — not only among congressional office staff but among House committee staff as well now that committees will be led by Republicans.

About 500 jobs could be shed from House committees, where Democrats currently control 66 percent, or two-thirds, of the budget and have about 1,000 committee staffers. 

According to House financial disclosure records posted by Legistorm, most of the outgoing Democrats employed 17 to 26 aides on their payroll, some of whom work in district offices. 

Democratic leaders will have to adjust to fewer perks and smaller staffs as well. There are about 55 aides in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership office, and she will also have a smaller staff as she assumes the minority leader office. 

Also on the firing line are top-level appointee positions, including the House clerk and the chief administrative officer, which are appointed or heavily dictated by the speaker.

But the heaviest turnover will be in the office suites of Rayburn, Cannon and Longworth, where losing lawmakers and their staffs will simultaneously shut down, move out, look for new jobs and help with the transition to the new members representing their districts. 

Freshman Rep. Bobby Bright of Alabama, who had about 23 aides on his payroll, some of them shared employees, lost his race by several thousand votes to Republican Martha Roby, who took a little more than 51 percent of the vote. 

“I’m sure they’re in shock and disbelief that this is going on,” said David Mowery of Mowery Consulting who helped lead Bright to his victory in 2008. “Based on Bright’s concession speech, I don’t think they knew they were going to lose. It snuck up on them.” 

Aides told POLITICO earlier this fall that there were signs of an imminent Republicantsunami as polls widely reflected voter frustration. Moreover, minority committee staffers in both chambers said that they had seen an uptick in the number of GOP résumés received by committees since early summer. 

There has been a trickle of aides leaving the Hill for months, including top Pelosi aide Cheryl Parker Rose, who left in October to become the deputy director of government affairs for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Potomac Flacks, an online site geared toward Hill communications jobs had received 50 résumés within hours of creating a Republican résumé bank, said Matt Mackowiak, who helps run the site. Since then, he has received 96 GOP résumés and 67 Democratic résumés, with a notable uptick after the midterm elections. 

Dems are scrambling,” said Mackowiak, a former Republican staffer. 

Most Democratic aides, though, weren’t talking. 

“I don’t want to discuss it. It’s a hard time,” said one House aide, who requested anonymity. “We’re not gone yet.” 

For outgoing Democrats, job prospects are not as devastating as they were in 2006, when party representation shifted in the House and the Senate, giving Democrats control and resulting in unemployment for 5,000 to 6,000 Republican aides. In 1994, Democrats had been in control for years, causing many lifelong Democratic aides to search for new jobs. 

But positions on the Hill have largely evaporated. K Street and other areas will be oversaturated with applications. The Obama administration, which was a gold mine for jobs in 2008, will have far fewer openings, experts say. 

For now, some outgoing Democratic aides are asking for compassion from their Republican colleagues. 

“What bothers me now is there is a lot of insensitivity to the plight of these people who are losing their jobs. Pundits are talking about how exciting this turnover is ... but there are real people whose lives are being affected,” said one outgoing Democratic aide. “They really need to show some compassion.” 

Simmi Aujla and Maggie Haberman contributed to this report.