For Bush Veterans, DC Jobs Are Scarce

But that's partially because many have stopped looking

(AP) - The unemployment rate dropped sharply last month to 9%, the lowest level in nearly two years. But the economy added only 36,000 new jobs, the fewest in four months. The unemployment rate has fallen by eight-tenths of a percentage point in the past two months; that's the steepest two-month drop in nearly 53 years. But part of that drop has occurred as many of those out of work gave up on their job searches—when unemployed people stop looking for jobs, the government no longer counts them as unemployed. More»

Recession has been especially hard on traditionally male jobs

(NEWSER) - Male unemployment has hit an all-time high, with a whopping 1 of every 5 working-age American men jobless, according to the latest government figures. The economic downturn has been especially brutal on traditionally male-dominated fields like construction and manufacturing, the Huffington Post explains, leading some to label it a “mancession.” The figure includes many people standard unemployment figures don’t track, including those who’ve chosen not to look and those who have given up on job hunting. More»

(NEWSER) - For many unemployed Americans, a new trend is keeping the prospect of a new job out of reach: detailed credit checks of prospective employees. Once used mostly for government positions, cheap credit checks are now routine at private employers seeking to cull huge applicant pools. Businesses say they're just being responsible, but job counselors are nervous that the unemployed are being caught in a Catch-22. More»