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unemployment
unemployment
(Scoboco)
Tips For Beating The Resume-Reading Robots Of Doom
By Chris Morran on January 31, 2012 12:30 PM
63 Comments
Anyone who has applied for a job at a large company — especially one that doesn't accept actual resumes but instead requires you to fill out a series of online forms — probably knows that their CV is being scanned, and maybe thrown in the trash, by some automated system meant to weed out those who obviously don't fit the criteria. But there's a chance you do fit the bill; you're just not using the write words to describe your skills and experience. More »
(8one6)
American Workers Growing More Flexible About Temp Work, Changing Careers
By Chris Morran on January 27, 2012 2:45 PM
79 Comments
With about a half-decade of a blah economy and weak employment, Americans are growing more amenable to taking temporary employment, changing their viewpoint from the glass-half-empty opinion of "it's a job without permanence" to "it's a job that may lead to something permanent one day." More »
Unemployment Dropped In Most States In December, But Will It Last?
By Chris Morran on January 24, 2012 12:30 PM
19 Comments
For everyone who so over these economic doldrums, the latest Labor Department jobs data for December 2011 may prove to be a bit of a belated holiday gift. Let's just hope that gift doesn't end up being returned in a couple months. More »
3 Types Of Hopeless Job Applicants
By Phil Villarreal on November 23, 2011 10:15 AM
163 Comments
When you're applying for a job, you can make the hiring manager's job easier by making a mistake that immediately eliminates you from contention. Oblivious, lazy behaviors can knock you out before you even get into the ring. More »
Fewer People Filing For Unemployment
By Phil Villarreal on October 21, 2011 8:45 AM
34 Comments
The Labor Department provided a sign that the job market may be creeping out of its dreadful depths. For the fourth consecutive week, the rolling four-week average of people applying for unemployment benefits declined. The 403,000 applicants in the span ending last week were down from 409,250 in the frame ending the week before. More »
(Library of Congress)
"Guess The Next Cashier To Be Fired!" Contest Not Good Morale Booster For Cashiers
By Ben Popken on October 3, 2011 12:00 PM
58 Comments
A judge has ruled that the "guess the next cashier who will be fired" "contest" concocted by a convenience store manager created a hostile work environment. Several of the employees left after it and the judge ruled that their unemployment claims could not be dismissed on the basis of the workers leaving voluntarily. Here is the text of the kooky contest memo: More »
680 lb Man Fired For Being Obese
By Ben Popken on September 29, 2011 12:00 PM
194 Comments
Ronald at one point weighed 680 lbs, a fact that never interfered with his ability to do his job. He received high marks in his performance reviews. Despite this, he was fired for his weight. More »
Senators Blumenthal And Franken Ask Social Intelligence Corp About Using Your Facebook Photos In Employer Background Checks
By Ben Popken on September 26, 2011 11:00 AM
85 Comments
Senators Blumenthal and Franken have figuratively posted on Social Intelligence Corp's Facebook wall a poll asking the company to answer several questions about its background check business. What makes this company's service unique is that it scours the internet profiles of prospective employees and flags them for things like holding drinks or holding guns. More »
(wwarby)
Fed Expected To Launch Next Monetary Easing, "Operation Twist"
By Ben Popken on September 20, 2011 4:00 PM
68 Comments
The Fed is widely expected to tomorrow announce the latest round of monetary policy tweaking designed to loosen up markets. It has the cute name of "Operation Twist." Here's how it works. More »
US Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Rose To 414,000
By Ben Popken on September 8, 2011 12:00 PM
51 Comments
Claims for unemployment benefits rose by a surprise 2,000 to 414,000 last week, sending stocks downward. Economists had predicted a drop in claims to 405,000. More »
How To Get By When You Run Out Of Funds
By Phil Villarreal on September 2, 2011 1:30 PM
137 Comments
Thanks to the volatile job market, many people are only a missed paycheck or two away from a financial emergency. Stockpiling a massive reserve fund isn't an option for everyone, so it makes sense to develop a contingency plan for a monetary worst-case scenario. More »
Employers Added No Jobs In August, Unemployment Still 9.1%
By Ben Popken on September 2, 2011 11:00 AM
118 Comments
A dismal jobs report sent all three major stock indexes, the barometers by which the nations measures its self-esteem, tumbling early morning Friday. The government reported that employers added no jobs in August and the official unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.1%. The last time the headline employment rate was zero was February 1945. More »
Bank Of America To Cut 3,500 Jobs, Thousands More Could Also Be Axed
By Chris Morran on August 19, 2011 8:00 AM
51 Comments
The nation's largest bank is trying to get a wee bit smaller — at least in terms of payroll. A newly uncovered memo reveals that Bank of America plans to cut at least 3,500 jobs in the upcoming months, with the possibility that thousands of additional positions could also be eliminated. More »
Tips For Making Job Hunts Easier
By Phil Villarreal on August 15, 2011 9:15 AM
16 Comments
Because of the difficult job market, many people who never expected to be scanning job ads and sending out resumes are doing exactly that. In order to streamline your search and spend as much time as possible chasing promising leads, you'll need to be smart about the way you conduct your search. More »
(extrabox)
9 Not So Cheerful Stats About The State Of Unemployment
By Chris Morran on August 2, 2011 4:15 PM
82 Comments
Just in case you were feeling hopeful about our nation's recovering workforce, those Pulitzer-winning buzzkills at ProPublica had to go and compile a whole host of facts and figures that could turn your upside-down frown back into a regular frown. More »
Not Just Hair Dye: An Older Guy's Guide To Getting A Job
By Ben Popken on July 25, 2011 3:00 PM
39 Comments
It's not just a matter of putting on a few doses of "Touch of Gray." John shares his strategies for getting a job as an older guy in the youth-obsessed technology field. While the last story we wrote about this focused on the power of personal connections to open doors, John makes sure that his resume is very nice and Google-friendly. More »
(dno1967b)
Unemployment Rises To 9.2%
By Ben Popken on July 11, 2011 10:00 AM
104 Comments
Dashing hopes buoyed by preliminary reports on Thursday, the official Labor Department jobs report on Friday said the economy only added 18,000 jobs last month. This brought the unemployment number up to 9.2% from 9.1%. But one man's gloom is another's boon... More »
(psd)
Strong Jobs Data Lifts Markets
By Ben Popken on July 7, 2011 3:00 PM
27 Comments
Markets rose as a day before the Labor Department releases its official monthly jobs report, two other reports came out that strongly suggesting it will be a pretty good one. More »
Consumer Spending Sputtered In May
By Ben Popken on June 28, 2011 2:00 PM
13 Comments
In a sign of economic wheel-spinning, consumer spending fell by an inflation-adjusted .1% for May, the government announced Monday. More »
(reegmo)
Georgia Program Replaces Migrant Farm Workers With Ex-Cons
By Laura Northrup on June 24, 2011 11:30 AM
125 Comments
Recent immigration crackdowns in Georgia have left the agricultural sector with a labor shortage. A big one. An unscientific poll puts the gap as high as 11,000 workers, but plants still have to be harvested. The governor responded to farmers' complaints with a new program that puts people on probation to work in the fields at minimum wage, with bonuses for high production. This seems like an ideal match: probationers have a higher unemployment rate than the general population, and farmers need people in the fields. It turns out, though, that hard work, hot weather, low pay, and inexperienced workers don't make for a very bountiful harvest. More »
