Christmas Sites
Weblogs
Mailing Lists
Related Sites
Recipes Sites |
~ Friday, January 30, 2004
MSNBC - Record number to lose jobless benefits: "Record number to lose jobless benefits 375,000 workers to lose payments this monthBy Kirstin Downey Updated: 8:02 a.m. ET Jan. 30, 2004WASHINGTON - A record-high 375,000 jobless workers will exhaust their unemployment insurance this month and an estimated 2 million workers will find themselves in the same predicament during the first half of the year, according to an analysis of Labor Department statistics by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. advertisement The report from the center, a liberal research and policy group, found that in the first six months of the year, about 5,800 jobless workers in the District of Columbia, 20,200 in Maryland and 29,600 in Virginia will run out of unemployment benefits unless they find new jobs or get additional government help. The jobless recovery has become an issue in this presidential election year, and the report shows the jobless benefits will run out for large numbers of workers in several key states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina and South Carolina." Job Market Sends Mixed Signals: "Job Market Sends Mixed Signals Thursday January 29, 4:14 pm ET By Anna Willard and Kevin Plumberg WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Economic reports offered mixed readings on the health of the U.S. job market on Thursday, with claims for unemployment benefits edging downward while businesses remained nervous about hiring. Economists are keeping a careful eye on employment-related data ahead of the Labor Department's report on January employment, due on Feb. 6. 'The declining trend of initial state jobless claims reinforces expectations of an eventual substantial upturn by payrolls employment,' said John Lonski, chief economist at Moody's Investors Service (News - Websites) in New York." ~ Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Fairy Tales Help Is Coming for 401(k) Accounts: "Help Is Coming for 401(k) Accounts Wednesday January 28, 3:46 pm ET By Eileen Alt Powell, AP Business Writer Help Is on the Way for Workers Who Find It Difficult to Manage Their 401(k) Retirement Accounts NEW YORK (AP) -- Help is on the way for workers who find it difficult to manage their 401(k) retirement accounts. Many employees already have free access to Internet-based calculators, which allow them to set savings goals, evaluate their risk tolerance and choose investments. But some are befuddled when it comes to selecting specific funds or rebalancing their accounts. A recent study by the human resources consulting firm Hewitt Associates found that nearly 45 percent of workers feel they don't have enough information to make the right investment choices, and more than half want help in making investment decisions." US recovery neglects working class wages-analysts: "US recovery neglects working class wages-analysts Wednesday January 28, 3:30 pm ET By Kevin Plumberg NEW YORK, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. economic rebound has so far comforted homeowners and stock investors, but has done little for working class paychecks, economists say. A stalled job market is making any wage growth difficult for the average consumer, whose spending makes up two-thirds of overall economic activity in the United States. Mid- to low-income workers who, unlike white collar workers, rarely get perks on top of their salaries like year- end bonuses and stock options, will likely be affected the most by the slow growth of wages. 'Certainly if you're at the low end of the wage scale, you'll be asking yourself, where's the recovery, because you wouldn't have shared in it,' said Nigel Gault, director of U.S. economic research at Waltham, Massachusetts-based Global Insight, a private company." | |
