If you are not sure if you will have a job till October 1st, 2009, you can ask your employer/lawyer to file your H1 under visa to be issued abroad category and NOT file a H1 Change of Status petition. In this case, your H1 status wont start until you go out of the country and re-enter after getting H1 visa stamped at a US consulate in your home country. This way, even if you get laid off, you can continue to stay and work here until you have a valid OPT and a job irrespective of whether your H1 is approved/revoked. But the drawback here is that, if you end up still being employed then you wont be able to start work on H1 till you re-enter with the H1 stamp. Hope this helps....
