I work in a student position for a software development company. Lately I've noticed my work volume seems to have slowed down, and no new projects seem to be coming in. I've also been asked a lot if I would be graduating soon, to which I have responded that I wouldn't. The same thing happened late last year when a major contract was dropped and most of the student workers were laid off.
No one has said anything about layoffs, but given how suddenly the layoffs occurred last time, I'm a little concerned. We're on a skeleton crew now, and I don't think I'm a bad worker, but I'm really the only one who doesn't do anything no one else can do. If the company is looking to trim the fat again, I think I'm going to be the first candidate to go.
I'm not sure if I'm just reading too much into the situation or if there actually is a risk of me being laid off. I know my job is safe until the end of the semester, but I can't be sure about afterwards. I would like to ask my manager so I know if I should start looking elsewhere, but I don't want to give the impression that I'm ready to abandon ship. I like my job and where I'm working, and even if they told me that they'd be letting me go at the end of the spring semester or at the start of fall, I'd be willing to keep working until then. Am I overreacting? Would expressing my concerns and asking if my job is at risk be seen as unprofessional?