Jobless Benefits

Unemployed people in Wisconsin would have to double the number of searches they make for a job from two to four a week, one of the toughest requirements in the country, under a proposal approved by the Legislature's budget committee on Monday. The provision proposed by Gov. Scott Walker says anyone not ...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting a pickup in the labor market recovery. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, declining for a second straight week, the Labor Department said on ...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment aid fell last week to nearly its lowest level in 4½ years, a sign that the labor market is healing. ...

WASHINGTON -- Extending the current level of long-term unemployment benefits for another year would add 300,000 jobs to the economy, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office. The analysis released Wednesday from the nonpartisan office estimates that keeping jobless benefits would cost the ...

WASHINGTON -- The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week but remained elevated due to Hurricane Sandy, a sign that the storm is proving to be a substantial disruption to the labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 41,000 to a seasonally ...

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose less than expected last week, but the data continues to be influenced by distortions from seasonal auto shutdowns. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, the Labor Department said on ...

By Paul Wiseman WASHINGTON -- The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped by 35,000 last week, a figure that may have been distorted by seasonal factors. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications fell to a seasonally adjusted 353,000. That's down from a revised 388,000 ...

If you're out of work, you might soon have to give a urine sample to the government to collect unemployment benefits. Back in February, in order to pass the payroll tax cut extension, Democrats in Congress made a compromise: States could drug test the recipients of those benefits, in certain ...

By Christopher S. Rugaber WASHINGTON -- More people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week. But the overall level stayed low enough to suggest the job market is strengthening. The Labor Department says weekly applications increased by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 362,000, the highest level since ...

A Chicago woman fired for working through her lunch break has won her legal battle to collect the unemployment benefits denied her by her former employer. The aggrieved employee, Sharon Smiley (pictured at left), succeeded in her effort despite a lack of legal help. None of the attorneys from whom Smiley ...

As millions of Americans can attest, job loss can be devastating -- especially if it lingers on and on. Three years ago, amid recession, Congress sought to lessen the pain by extending the period that the long-term unemployed could claim benefits to well beyond a year. Come January, however, that provision ...