American families are experiencing the effects of the "Great Recession." Most of the job losses are accruing to men, so families may find it strategic for wives to enter the labor force, or increase their work hours. We consider this possibility using the May 2008 and 2009 Current Population Survey, and compare findings to May 2004 and 2005 data,…

A statistical survey was taken of the labor market experience of persons who received advance notice of employment termination, their success in finding new jobs, the factors that affected their finding new jobs, and the means of obtaining a new job. The report includes tabulated statistics for: mass and individual terminations by job finding…

This article discusses the definition and causes of unemployment, national unemployment rates since 1929, and workers who typically experience the highest incidence of job loss. (Author)

Reports on all situations during the last six months in which three or more chemists or chemical engineers were terminated. This report covers 13 such incidents by 10 employers. (MLH)

Based on a survey of a group of unemployed people, this article examines ways in which adult education can best serve the needs of the unemployed as they perceive them. (Author/SSH)

Declining enrollment, financial trouble, and larger college graduating classes from schools of education all contribute to the spiraling problem of teacher layoff and unemployment. (JD)

Widespread layoffs in the closing months of the year caused a sharp rise in the jobless rate. Blue collar workers, women, and minorities were most severely affected. Slumps in retail sales, particularly auto sales, fewer construction starts, declining industrial orders, and effects of the coal miners' strike were contributing factors. (Author/MW)

Unemployment can be studied in regard to its relationship to the psychological health of unemployed persons. Although the relationship is generally perceived as negative, some people suffer fewer negative consequences of unemployment than others. Potentially negative aspects of unemployment include reduced income, life restrictions, fewer goals,…

Second in a two-part report on a 1982 study by the staff of the Education and Work program at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), this issue presents the complete findings from case studies of 44 unemployed men and women. In order to determine how unemployment affects people, NWREL's study identified and explored the following four…

The General Accounting Office recently studied automation, especially the advent of microelectronics, and its impact on unemployment. The study included identifying available information sources and obtaining opinions on the impact of automation on employment, federal efforts to predict its impact, the dissemination of information about the job…

Reaction to job loss can be considered as analogous to reaction to the death of a loved one. The stages that an individual needs to work through will be similar. Both cognitive and existential aspects of job loss are examined together with some thoughts on helping clients cope. (Author)

First of a two-part report on a 1982 study by the staff of the Education and Work program at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), this issue presents the preliminary findings from questionnaires (and telephone surveys) of 30 unemployed men and women. In order to determine how unemployment affects people, NWREL's study identified and…

Discussions centered on circumstances faced by laid-off workers in Portsmouth, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Upper Cumberland, Tennessee, and Gary, West Virginia. These diverse Appalachian communities are prototypes of the extent of local distress imposed by the impersonal workings of the market and the absence of precedents for dealing with…

In the second of a two-part article, the following questions are addressed: How does the unemployment compensation system work? Which employers are affected by laws on unemployment compensation? Which employees fall under federal and state laws? and How much does a covered employer pay in unemployment taxes? Ways to minimize unemployment claims…

Rising unemployment and declining industrial productivity are major problems in the United States today. Four different strategies have been proposed for dealing with these problems. The free market approach promises economic prosperity by reducing the government's role and relying on the private sector. Advocates of this approach feel that it…