Recently in Unemployment Category

This week, President Obama was re-elected to office. He will serve again as a second-term president.

But many are unsatisfied with his job creation policies from his first term, despite the fact that he was able to lower the unemployment rates. His opponents and critics say hasn't done enough to help small businesses expand to create jobs, writes The Associated Press.

And as you may know, small business success is intrinsically tied to job growth, in many ways. After all, if small businesses aren't hiring, then we have a serious problem with job growth.

Is it fair that millionaires are getting unemployment benefits?

While unemployment benefits are supposed to help out those in need, more than 2,000 millionaires were receiving unemployment benefits in 2009, reports The Huffington Post.

Of course, millionaires only made up 0.02 percent of all unemployment recipients. But still, should millionaires even receive public assistance for unemployment?

This economy has been a drain on everyone. Well, maybe it's been a drain on only 99% of people, but a drain nonetheless. You've probably felt the hurt in one way or another, the loss of co-workers, no raise, or you've lost a job altogether.

The most recent unemployment application numbers were released recently showing that weekly applications increased by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, reports the Associated Press. The four-week average actually fell to a mark lower than it has been since the end of March.

These numbers are supposed to mean that the country is overall gaining jobs and lowering unemployment, but what if you're one of the folks that needs to apply for benefits?

There are all kinds of reasons why we don't get enough sleep. Some are fun, some not so much. No matter the cause, it is usually against the rules to sleep on the job. Naturally, if you break the rules and are caught, you'll probably lose that job. And if you're intentionally breaking them, you probably won't get Unemployment Compensation ("UC") either.

Charlene Henney worked the night shift at the Philadelphia Parking Authority ("PPA") from 3:30pm to midnight. During her shifts she usually got drowsy because of her later diagnosed sleep apnea, so she asked her supervisor at PPA for more work to keep her awake, according to Upon Further Review. The PPA didn't give her the extra work and there were several occasions when Henney was found to be asleep.

The PPA fired Henney for sleeping on the job and then contested her application for UC, who do you think won?

Well, it looks like the Sixers held on to their jobs against the Celtics. But not so lucky are Dexter Pittman and Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat, who are suspended after a recent game.

In the same way Pittman and Haslem were suspended for retaliation against the opposing team, so too can your boss be reprimanded for retaliating against you. If you reported wrongdoing at work, or filed a workers’ comp claim, and then were fired for doing so, you may have a lawsuit to file against your employer.

Unlike the end of the season or temporary suspension for a professional athlete, losing a real job is downright depressing.

When your employer checks your background, what will they find? For one man, found he was convicted of rape. Strangely, he was four at the time. The background check had confused Samuel M. Jackson, the applicant, with Samuel L. Jackson, the incarcerated rapist (not to be confused with the greatest actor of all time,) reports the Los Angeles Times.

Background checks are becoming increasingly important since September 2011, with 93% of employers conducting background checks on some employees and 73% checking all employees. The problem of inaccuracy is becoming more widespread, as there are no licenses or documentation required to start a background check company. All that is required is a computer, internet access, and customers, writes the Times.

As of February 2012, there were nearly 13 million unemployed Americans or 8.3% of the workforce, reports the Associated Press. The recession and unemployment numbers however, are not news to most Americans. But what might surprise them is the widespread discrimination against the unemployed.

The mindset of the person hiring seems to be that if someone has been unemployed for an extended period, then that person must be lazy or have some sort of defective personality or skill. In a thriving economy where jobs are at a surplus, such logic might actually make sense.

National Energy Solutions Inc., based in Levittown, is hiring; and they are hoping to hire veterans. The company was founded in 2007, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer, and makes energy saving light fixtures for commercial spaces. Right now, three of the company's twelve employees are veterans.

Why would this company make an effort to hire U.S. vets? One reason is that company co-founder Ray Sizer is himself a veteran of the Navy. He says, "It's just a good thing to do." While Sizer may be right about that, it isn't necessarily something that many employers in the Philadelphia area are making an effort to do.

The Arlene Ackerman unemployment benefits saga finally ends with a resounding “no.” The former superintendent of the Philadelphia School District had applied for $573 in weekly unemployment benefits.

While those who lose their jobs can normally apply for unemployment benefits, the fact that Ackerman applied for the benefits was appalling to many as she had just been paid nearly $1 million to leave the district, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.

As the Pennsylvania unemployment rate slowly gets better, you may find yourself in a position where you have several job offers. But before you say "I accept," you may want to make sure the job is right for you by negotiating the job offer.

Some things you may want to negotiate include your salary, title, benefits, vacation pay, and severance. Even if you don't get all the things you request, agreeing on the terms of the job offer beforehand will help avoid confusion and frustration later on.