Great Recession

In the U.S., the economic recovery that started in June 2009 has been called the third straight "jobless recovery." But that's a misnomer. The jobs came back after the first two. ...

It's one of the strange outcomes of the Great Recession: At a time of high unemployment, when some 12 million Americans are without jobs, some employers are saying that they can't find anyone to hire. There have been lots of explanations for this, from job candidates' lack of cover letters to employers' ...

American workers are increasingly miserable on the job. No wonder: Those who survived mass layoffs during the recent recession often were rewarded with more work for the same or less pay. A survey released last fall found that nearly a third (32 percent) of U.S. workers considered quitting their jobs, up 9 ...

By Paul Wiseman and Christopher S. Rugaber WASHINGTON -- Don't panic yet. The government reported Friday that the economy got off to a tepid start this year, but that doesn't foreshadow a repeat of the near-standstill that happened in 2011. "The economy is firmly on a growth trajectory," said Sung Won ...

By Martin Crutsinger WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ben Bernanke says the job market isn't as strong as the steadily declining unemployment rate might suggest. Responding to questions at a Senate hearing Tuesday, he noted that the unemployment rate doesn't capture the plight of millions of people who have stopped ...

By Paul Wiseman WASHINGTON (AP) -- Month by month, the U.S. job market is regaining its health. So many jobs are being added that the unemployment rate has dropped for five straight months. At 8.3 percent, it's at a three-year low. Whether the job market actually feels stronger, though, depends on your ...

By Christopher S. Rugaber WASHINGTON (AP) -- Applications for weekly unemployment benefits spiked last week, largely because companies let go of thousands of workers after the holiday season. Weekly applications rose by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 399,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's ...

By Tom Raum WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fifty percent of U.S. workers earned less than $26,364 last year, reflecting a growing income gap between the nation's rich and poor, the government reported Thursday. There were fewer jobs, and overall pay was trending down - except for the nation's wealthiest. The number of ...

By Rusty Rueff I have followed with great interest the ongoing political debate about how to fix unemployment and create jobs to stir the economy. I should disclose right up front that I am a supporter and fundraiser for President Obama's reelection and I hope that doesn't disqualify me in other's thinking ...