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After months of tepid jobs reports, the Labor Department reported Friday that nation's unemployment fell to a level not seen since before President Obama took office in January 2009, 7.8 percent. That was good news for job hunters and workers -- and of course, President Obama. So immediately the conspiracy ...

By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON -- The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to a near four-year low of 7.8 percent in September, a potential boost to President Barack Obama's re-election bid. The Labor Department said on Friday that the unemployment rate, a key focus in the race for the White House, dropped by ...

What does it mean to "have it all"? Every generation of American women seems to ask this question -- and comes up with depressingly narrow definitions. "You can have it all -- just not at once" may sound optimistic, but it's just another way of saying "you can have a great career, or you can have a great ...

When you pit two graduates of Harvard Law School against each other in a debate, it should come as little shock when the end result is a night dominated by stats. And that's what the first 2012 presidential debate between Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney was -- high on policy. ...

The 20th century is often referred to as the "American Century" as it was during that time when the U.S. emerged as an economic and political superpower. But a decade into the 21st century, with the country mired in a jobs crisis alongside its eternal struggle to find new sources of energy, some companies in ...

As the 2012 presidential election enters the home stretch, there seems to be little doubt that jobs and the economy will dominate not only the presidential debates but also the national conversation. Just what should the next president do to get the national unemployment rate to below 8 percent, where it ...

By Rick Newman It's hard to predict the future, especially if you're still struggling to figure out what's happening in today's economy. But predicting the future is exactly what you need to do if you're enrolling in college, starting a fresh career, or investing in new skills. The pace of change in ...

Question: I need to do a better job of avoiding "insecurity work" (constantly checking social media updates, email, etc.). What strategies do you use to ensure that technology does not get the best of you during the day? ...

Last week's shootings outside the Empire State Building in New York City shone a spotlight on mental health issues in the workplace. While it's not clear whether mental illness drove Jeffrey Johnson to target a former colleague a year after being laid off from his job at Hazan Imports, it's clear that Johnson ...

Competition for tech talent in Silicon Valley is particularly keen among companies that produce electronic games. The need for workers with software programming skills is so acute that gaming companies have taken to the Web, producing recruiting videos that showcase corporate culture and the products they make ...

It's a profession whose members help save lives on a daily basis. And given that nursing pays relatively well and is one of the fields projected to grow, more men are considering entering the traditionally female profession. But male nurses are still the butt of jokes -- and not just in movies, as Ben ...

The news that famed 68-year-old movie director Tony Scott ended his own life Sunday brings the issue of suicide to the forefront. There are the inevitable questions: Why would someone with so much success feel like life was no longer worth living? While his suicide note hasn't been released, it's likely his ...

What's the defining characteristic of working in the digital age? Computers have changed many things, but the Internet and social media provide workers with greater ability to both promote and express themselves. Especially when you feel that you've lost your job unfairly. Given that "anyone with a Facebook ...

Sometimes the job search pushes you to the edge. Take, for instance, the situation of Taylor Grey Meyer, a 31-year-old resident of Coronado, Calif., who is a published writer, a licensed pilot, and has completed a master's degree in sports commerce as well as coursework at the California Western School of ...

Budget cuts are the norm across the country. But you'd think this one wouldn't have been a make-or-break expenditure: For 15 years, the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative, a nonprofit public entity located outside Boston, paid $12 a week to Mark Stanganelli to polish silver at a Wyndham resort in ...

Getting caught for stealing while on the job is grounds for firing at most workplaces. But when you are a policeman, and you've been accused of stealing from a Goodwill store while out on patrol (and it seems to be caught on camera), you may want to head for the exit before the investigation formally wraps ...

This past week saw the release of the jobs report for the month of July, which means that just three more reports will be issued before Election Day. The July jobs report had information for both political parties to try and capitalize on -- 163,000 jobs were added, but the unemployment rate ticked up 0.1 ...

It was perhaps the least appropriate time to make a threat to a co-worker using a "Batman" reference. But in late July, Neil Prescott's bosses at Pitney Bowes told him over the phone that he was being fired, he apparently was livid. "I'm a Joker and I'm gonna load my guns and blow everybody up," Prescott, 28, ...

David Peregrine was determined to make contributions at Amazon. Two years ago, the Welsh native, then 34 years old, was hired to work as an associate in the Internet giant's warehouse in Swansea, Wales. But when a back injury prevented him from carrying out eight-hour shifts during which he carried up 15 ...

Ronald Kratz had every intention of carrying out his duties as a material handler for defense contractor BAE Systems in Sealy, Texas -- despite his weighing nearly 680 pounds. So when in 2009 the seatbelt on his forklift wouldn't extend long enough for him to buckle it, he asked his superiors for an extender. ...