Unemployment, Employee | featured news

At a time of lingering economic malaise, gyrating markets and high unemployment, it's not surprising that workers around the world are less than content at their jobs. They're also feeling a diminished sense of loyalty, according to a new global analysis of data gathered by Mercer, the giant New York City-based human resources consulting firm.

Employers added the most jobs in five months, but the unemployment rate remained stuck at 9.6 percent for the third straight month.

Employers appear to be laying off workers again as the economic recovery weakens. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits reached the half-million mark last week for the first time since November.

A net 263,000 jobs were eliminated in September, pushing the jobless rate to a 26-year high. Stocks fall on the news. The nation's labor market took a turn for the worse in September as employers eliminated a net 263,000 jobs, far more than expected and reversing a pattern of steadily declining payroll losses in recent months, the Labor Department said today.