joblessness

The millions of long-term jobless, a nagging trait of this anemic recovery, have been taxing the nation’s food banks that have s

There is not much good economic news out there. The unemployment rate is 9.1 percent, and JPMorgan forecasts it will rise to 9.5 percent over the next year.

The Wall Street consensus is that the chances we are in or will enter another recession are 30 percent to 40 percent.

And the darkest spot in the dark economy? Skills-corroding, poverty-inducing, long-term joblessness. The average duration of unemployment has climbed to record highs, and about 44 percent of jobless workers have not had a job in six months.

The Fed gave a lukewarm economic assessment on despite recent signs the recovery was strengthening, saying high unemployment still justified its $600B bond-buying program.

The longer people stay out of work, the more trouble they have finding new work, adding to the challenge for policy makers trying to reduce joblessness.

With many American companies manufacturing abroad, the effect on exports of a weak dollar is diminished.

Persistently high unemployment cannot be blamed on long-term shifts in the economy that do not respond to monetary or fiscal policy, researchers at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank said Monday.

Despite soaring profits, high-tech companies have been slow to hire — a sign of just how difficult it will be to address persistently high joblessness.

In a report to Congress, Ben S. Bernanke said that it would take significant time to restore the 8.5 million jobs lost in 2008 and 2009.

Homelessness in rural and suburban America is straining shelters this winter as the economy founders and joblessness hovers near double digits.

"One of the things that we've noticed is a lot more unsheltered, mostly men who claim this is the first time they've been homeless, who indicate that it's due to a loss of wages or loss of job, because of