The number of laid-off workers receiving unemployment benefits has jumped to an all-time high near 5 million while new jobless claims remain well above 600,000. Both figures were worse than expected and new projections from the Federal Reserve show unemployment rising for the rest of this year. ...more

February 19, 2009

WASHINGTON - Recession-battered employers eliminated 598,000 jobs in January, the most since the end of 1974, and catapulted the unemployment rate to 7.6 percent. The grim figures were further proof that the nation's job climate is deteriorating at an alarming clip with no end in sight. ...more

February 6, 2009

Jobless Claims Hit 26-Year High The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of newly jobless workers seeking benefits rose last week to a seasonally adjusted 626,000, from the previous week's upwardly revised figure of 591,000. The latest total is far more than analysts' expectations of 583,000. ...more

February 6, 2009

Banks collecting billions of dollars in federal bailout money sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers to the U.S. for high-paying jobs, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications. ...more

February 1, 2009

Americans Receiving Jobless Benefits Hits Record WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of people receiving unemployment benefits has reached the highest level on records that go back more than 40 years, the government said Thursday, and more layoffs are spreading throughout the economy. ...more

February 1, 2009

As Perry Weaver fixes problems beneath the hood of a customer's pearl white 1968 Corvette, his biggest worry is the country's financial engine. ...more

January 31, 2009

WASHINGTON - The number of new unemployment claims jumped more than expected last week, as companies continue to cut jobs at a furious pace and more Americans turn to an extended benefits program. ...more

January 22, 2009

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Insulated from the harshest effects of the housing bust - and buoyed by an abundance of energy and agriculture - five contiguous rural states have the lowest unemployment rates in the land. ...more

January 11, 2009

A staggering 2.6 million jobs disappeared in 2008, the most since World War II, and the pain is only getting worse with 11 million Americans out of work and searching. Unemployment hit a 16-year high of 7.2 percent in December and could be headed for 10 percent or even higher by year's end. ...more

January 10, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama called the latest U.S. job losses on Friday "a stark reminder of how urgently action is needed" to revive the nation's staggering economy. He said he was open to fresh ideas from Congress. ...more

January 9, 2009