Jobless, Workers | featured news

These are anxious days for American workers. Many are underemployed. Others find pay that is simply not keeping up with their expenses.

Employers appear to be laying off workers again as the economic recovery weakens. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits reached the half-million mark last week for the first time since November.

About one million laid-off workers will see their benefits end in January unless federally paid extensions get renewed.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless insurance hit a nine-month low last week and retailers reported their first monthly sales gain in over a year on Thursday, easing fears that recovery from recession would be unsustainable.