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Has the loss of your spouse's job put your ''for better or for worse'' vows to the test? Coping with the emotional and financial strains of having an unemployed mate is difficult; yet at the same time, your spouse very much needs your support. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that a spouse's attitude toward job hunting strongly influences the mental state of the unemployed mate.

What can you do to help your partner while at the same time maintaining domestic tranquility? Couples counselors, as well as couples who have successfully weathered unemployment, offer these tips:

by Ed Orum for AOL Find a Job

If you need a job and are good with people and numbers, the government might have work for you. The U.S. Census Bureau is in the process of hiring hundreds of thousands of temporary workers for its 2010 population count. If hired, you'll get good pay, flexible hours, paid training, mileage reimbursement and the sense of doing something to help out your country. Best of all, you don't have to go very far - the jobs are right where you live.

By Michelle Goodman

You need to start bringing home a little extra bacon for your family, but you also need to be available when your kids wake from their nap or get home from school. Not to worry. You don't have to sign up for the overnight night shift to work around your kids' schedule. Herewith, eight part-time jobs that pay well and offer a flexible schedule.

By Carol Tice

Winter holiday work has often come with perks, from cheap software to clothing discounts. This year, with the economy tough, many employers are playing it coy about their perks and not advertising them in their job listings, says Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of the temp-job portal FlexJobs.

"I think employers are getting so many applicants for any job posting, they're not playing up their benefits as much as they typically would," she says.

But perks are still out there. Smart job-hunters will have to tease out information about perks in their job interviews to find out what extra goodies an employer may offer aside from a quick seasonal paycheck.

By Ed Orum

When the Mayans devised their calendar ending in 2012 more than 5,000 years ago, I bet they had no idea how much end-of-world fodder they were providing for centuries of civilizations to come.

With the date creeping closer and a big Hollywood blockbuster imagining exactly how it would all go down, it's only fair to help plan for the worst - by pondering which jobs would be essential should a small group of us survive the apocalypse.

Keep in mind - this is by no way scientific - I have no research, experience or knowledge to back up these claims. Just a hunch. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.