… rose to 480,000 last week when many economists were hoping for a decline and a sign that the job losses would be improving soon.

But the rise in weekly claims of 7,000 last week, which had followed an increase of 19,000 the previous week, shows that the improvement has been halting. Analysts believe that claims need to fall to about 425,000 for several weeks to signal the economy is actually beginning to add jobs.

And it’s not just new unemployment claims that are unsettling …

Category: Bankruptcy , Economy , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Economy Job Loss Unemployment United States

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When a debtor faces a job loss, the first thing they should do is apply for unemployment insurance. Don’t make the assumption that you don’t qualify for unemployment insurance, apply and allow them to approve or not approve your benefits.  One of the mistakes that many unemployed workers make is waiting too long to apply for their unemployment benefits, don’t make that mistake, apply as soon as you become …

Category: Bankruptcy , Economy , Managing Your Finances , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Bankruptcy budget Forbearance Unemployment

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The latest job loss report released by the Labor Department is not encouraging.  There were 85,000 job losses in December and that’s after employers added 4,000 jobs in November.  It just seems that America’s workers can’t seem to get a break.  Even those who have been looking for work for an extended period of time remain unemployed.  There are 5.4 million Americans receiving unemployment …

Category: Bankruptcy , Unemployment - Job Loss

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In an effort to replenish the Texas unemployment insurance fund, the Texas Workforce Commission has announced that next year two-thirds of Texas businesses will pay nearly three times the unemployment benefits tax they paid this year.

Businesses that pay the minimum state unemployment tax will owe nearly $65 per worker in 2010, up from about $23 this year. Under Texas’ unemployment insurance system, the minimum tax is paid by …

Category: Economy , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Employment Insurance Recession Texas Trust Fund Unemployment

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The Labor Department claims that the number jobless workers applying for unemployment for the first time is steadily decreasing; but could that mean a spike in bankruptcy filings?

Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 474,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was above analysts’ expectations of 460,000 new claims… The number of people continuing to claim benefits fell by 303,000 to 5.16 million, the lowest …

Category: Bankruptcy , Unemployment - Job Loss

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According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, the Texas unemployment compensation fund is out of money and relying on loans from the federal government to survive. New taxation for businesses is probably the only way to get out of the red; but officials are hesitant to hit businesses with higher taxes during this recession.

The article said:

“No decision has been made, but commissioners could suspend for two years an assessment that makes up …

Category: Bankruptcy , Economy , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Insolvency Recession Texas Unemployment benefits

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… to an article in the Dallas Morning News, the Labor Department announced that new claims for unemployment insurance benefits dropped last week to a seasonally adjusted 521,000.

The article said:

“Despite the improvement, initial claims remain well above the 325,000 that economists say is consistent with a healthy economy.”

Also, there are still 8.9 million Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits, including those who are receiving benefits through the emergency …

Category: Economy , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Unemployment United States Department of Labor

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According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits increased more than expected last week.  The Labor Department reported that initial unemployment insurance claims rose to 551,000 from 534,000.  Analysts had expected that unemployment claims would only rise to 535,000.

“Economists closely watch initial claims, which are considered a gauge of layoffs and an indication of companies’ willingness to hire new …

Category: Unemployment - Job Loss

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According to an article in the Star-Telegram, the Texas unemployment rate hit 8 percent for the first time in 22 years.  The last time the state experienced unemployment numbers that high was during the 1980’s oil bust.  But despite Texas’ high unemployment rate, the state is still fairing better than the country as a whole, which has an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent.

The article said:

“Despite our strong Texas economic foundation, the …

Comment by Pamela: … cancer, lost my job. That really is bad. They …

Category: Unemployment - Job Loss

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According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, over 6 million Americans continue to claim unemployment benefits; but the job losses continue unabated. Microsoft Corp. announced 5,000 job losses to be implemented over the next 18 months. Huntsman Corp., a chemical maker will suffer 1,175 job losses this year, representing more than 9 percent of its work force. United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said it would experience 1,000 job losses, that’s in addition to the 1,500 job losses …

Category: Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: credit cards Job Loss

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… One of the biggest fears of debtors filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy is that they will lose their job during the 3 to 5 year repayment plan.  Fortunately, debtors who lose their job during a Chapter 13 bankruptcy still have options:

Dismiss the Chapter 13 bankruptcy case. Most debtors have the power to voluntarily dismiss their Chapter 13 bankruptcy case at any point and deal with their creditors directly.  For example, a debtor might decide to dismiss their case …

Category: Chapter 13 Bankruptcy , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Chapter 13 Modification Job Loss Unemployment

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… a staggering 7.5 percent in November.  In an effort to cut costs, the company is implementing job losses and outsourcing its information technology department.  New jobs will go India.  Is this a trend?  As job losses mount and the recession clamps down on consumer spending, many large companies (and some small companies) are turning to foreign workers to find cheap labor, leaving many American workers unemployed for a longer stretch of time.

Since January, Neiman Marcus has had …

Category: Economy , Unemployment - Job Loss

Tags: Job Loss Neiman Marcus Outsourcing United States

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