Author Archive
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Millions About to Lose Unemployment Benefits
Millions of Americans may be dreading New Year's Day—because that's when their unemployment benefits are scheduled to expire, reports the Wall Street Journal . Some economists dread it too, saying the federally backed emergency payments help the economy and put food on the table for 2.1 million Americans. With...
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Unemployment Falls to 7.7%
The unemployment rate fell from 7.9% to 7.7% in November, and the Wall Street Journal gives you permission to care a little less than usual. It calls today's report "the least important look at the labor market in about five years." That's because 1) Hurricane Sandy, holiday hiring,...
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Crazy Commute: Wisconsin Workers to Staff ND Store
And you thought your commute was bad: Home improvement retailer Menard plans to fly 50 workers weekly from its headquarters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to a store in the booming town of Minot, North Dakota. A nearby oil patch has swelled the town's population to nearly 50,000 (up from...
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Unemployment May Be Just as Bad for Heart as Smoking
Depressing news from a new study: Losing a job repeatedly could be just as bad for your heart as smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes, Time reports. The study looked at more than 13,000 adults aged 50 to 75 and followed them for 18 years, finding a strong link...
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U.S. Adds 172,000 Jobs, But Unemployment Hits 8.3%
New figures show the official U.S. unemployment rose to 8.3 percent in July, up from 8.2 percent the month before. Despite the slide, non-farm jobs saw an increase of 172,000, ending a three-month run below 100,000. At the White House, President Obama welcomed the newly created jobs and said Republican policies would only further weaken continued growth. President Obama: "That means that we now created 4.5 million new jobs over the last 29 months and 1.1 ...
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Young Americans calling White House upset over unemployment of 18-29 year olds
The nation’s largest watchdog for young American jobs and unemployment is calling on 18-29 year olds to call the White House today after learning that their age group unemployment rates continue to increase. Generation Opportunity is encouraging its Facebook fans, as well as its thousands of grassroots supporters across the nation, to call (202) 456-1414 and “demand that the policies of the last three and a half years, which have stifled job creation, be reversed in favor of policies ...
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U.S. unemployment aid applications rise to 365,000
By ASSOCIATED PRESS | 8/2/12 9:25 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week, though the data was likely skewed higher by seasonal factors. Weekly applications increased by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell for the sixth straight week to 365,500, the lowest since March 31. The decline in the four-week average ...
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Young Americans giving up on job searches as unemployment reaches higher levels
“I have waited long enough for Obama to bring his shovel ready jobs,” said 26-year-old Austin Taylor, from San Antonio. “It’s obvious he is not delivering while my peers and I remain unemployed.” Taylor is just one of the 16.8% of the nation’s young adults who remain unemployed. Paul T. Conway, the former Chief of Staff of the US Department of Labor, should know a thing or two about adults ages 18-29 and their struggles with unemployment. Conway ...
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Unemployment Stories, Vol. Three: ‘Absolute Hell’
Every week, we're bringing you true stories of unemployment, from the vast land of unemployed America. Today: depression, redemption, struggle, optimism, and the bitterness of the 99%. This is what's happening out there. Do I really have to do this again? I am a mid-30s female with an Ivy League graduate degree. I just received my third layoff in a little over four years. The first layoff was just a month or so long, and I found ...
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The new minority: Millions of long-term unemployed looking for hope
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Joe Carbone can't sleep — and the odd thing is, he deals in hope. Carbone is the President and CEO of The WorkPlace, Inc., a non-profit workforce and economic development organization in Bridgeport, Conn. He developed an experimental program to help the long-term unemployed that was recently featured on "60 Minutes." But the problem of the long-term unemployed in America is so large it weighs on him. "I can't tell you what this ...