Disaster Assistance In order to qualify for disaster unemployment benefits your employment or self-employment must have been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster, and you must have been determined not to be eligible for regular state unemployment insurance. Major disasters have been declared in some counties in Oklahoma, and information on … Continue reading
For many who have been jobless for over six months, finding employment is difficult if not impossible. According to economists Rand Gayad and William Dickens, employers become less and less likely to hire people who are unemployed for six months or more. In short, the extravagant duration of unemployment benefits in the last five years … Continue reading
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits climbed last week at the fastest pace in six months, a worrisome sign for the economy which has been hit by government austerity. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped by 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was … Continue reading
Coloradans receiving unemployment benefits as part of a federal extension are beginning to see an 18.2 percent reduction in compensation as a result of the across-the-board U.S. government spending cuts. The cuts apply specifically to federal extensions known as Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), which is a tiered system for paying the unemployed once their state … Continue reading
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to its lowest level in nearly 5-1/2 years last week, signaling labor market resilience in the face of fiscal austerity. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, the lowest level since January 2008, the Labor Department said on … Continue reading
Federally funded benefits paid to the long-term unemployed were lowered by 10.7 percent starting March 31 as part of reductions to planned government spending called sequestration. Benefit cuts will affect about 1.8 million workers, based on Labor Department data, and add to the drag on consumer spending from a payroll tax increase that took effect … Continue reading
Unemployment worldwide and youth unemployment are a tragedy. The number of unemployed in the world has exploded with 28 million people jobless in the five years following the global financial crisis. In 2012, there were 197 million people unemployed according to the ILO. In 2013, about 210.6 million people will be unemployed according to the … Continue reading
The origins of Germany’s labor-market turnaround dates back to the mid-1990s, when its ruling class decided that things could not continue to go on this way. A humiliated Germany, of “Wirtschaftswunder” fame, had joined the rest of Europe in recording double digit unemployment rates, peaking at 13 percent in early 2005. The fabled German engineering … Continue reading
The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell sharply last week to its lowest level since the early days of the 2007-09 recession, suggesting the job market is still healing despite weakness in the broader economy.Other data on Thursday showed a narrowing of the U.S. trade gap in March, although drops in … Continue reading
Florida violated federal civil rights law with its new and unusual requirement that unemployment claimants file online and take math and reading tests before they can receive benefits, the U.S. Labor Department determined this month. The department’s Civil Rights Center’s initial determination lays out the problems some non-English speakers and people with disabilities have encountered … Continue reading
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, offering reassurance that the bottom is not falling out of the labor market despite signs of slower growth. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000 the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week’s number was … Continue reading
States are having such a hard time implementing congressional cuts to long-term unemployment insurance that some workforce agencies might just cancel the benefits altogether. The federal budget cuts known as sequestration require states to trim federal benefits known as Emergency Unemployment Compensation by roughly 10 percent. But what would seem like a simple administrative procedure … Continue reading
A rescue effort is underway for the state’s financially troubled unemployment insurance program, an economic lifeline that currently provides weekly monetary support for 525,000 jobless Californians. More than $10 billion in the red, the unemployment insurance fund has been spiraling toward bankruptcy in recent years, even as it continues to provide weekly jobless benefits of … Continue reading
Following three consecutive months of decline, the number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits was virtually unchanged in February, at 528,900. Compared with a year earlier, the number of beneficiaries was down 7.4%. A number of provinces had fewer beneficiaries in February, with the largest percentage decreases in Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. British … Continue reading
Americans have always been willing to move to look for better economic opportunities, and this willingness to relocate is a big factor in U.S. prosperity. Yet while everyone is free to move to look for a better life, not everyone takes advantage of the opportunity to the same degree. Some overdue changes in unemployment insurance … Continue reading