Unemployment, Jobless | featured news

It's a quirk in the federal rules that's most likely hurting thousands who have been searching for work for more than a year. In the first year of unemployment, the size of the benefit check is based on your old salary.

Hundreds of thousands of jobless Americans could face further financial strain in coming weeks after Congress failed to extend the unemployment benefits that help them pay the bills while they look for work.

A nearly $140 billion bill to extend unemployment benefits and a host of expiring tax cuts cleared a procedural hurdle Tuesday in the Senate on a vote of 66-34, setting up passage of the bill possibly later in the day.

An emergency assistance program that saves thousands from foreclosure each year is in the national spotlight.

Depending on extended unemployment benefits to see you through the Great Recession?

The social safety net was built for short-term gaps between jobs, but work may be scarce for years, even as the American economy shows signs of a rebound.

The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to the lowest total in a month, a sign the job market may be improving.

The Labor Department said initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 474,000. That was above analysts' expectations of 460,000.

The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to the lowest level in over a year.

Economists expect the joblessness that has weighed down the nation's economic recovery will start to slowly abate in 2010, but they predict consumers will continue to keep a tight rein on spending, according to a new survey.