Who do I ask for a reference after a layoff? after 14 years as an electrician's helper

My manager was laid off too and I am unsure who to use as a reference. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. HR only confirms titles and dates. Is a client acceptable?

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It made the follow-up calls so much easier.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.