BureauOfLaborStatistics

With unemployment high, wages stagnant and costs rising, a growing number of Americans are working a part time job -- or more than one -- to make ends meet. 24/7 Wall St. dug through the data to see which industries are the best bets for those seeking part-time work -- and some may surprise you.

The sector specializing in short-term and freelance jobs has taken on a split personality of sorts. Demand for contractors is ticking upward, but pay rates are going the other way.

The best paying jobs in the country are in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the average pay is 19% better than the national average, according to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The worst paying area was in the Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas metropolitan area with a pay relative of 77,...

As one of the many unemployed people across the country, and as someone who works with words for a living, I find it funny that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics can come up with many ways to describe people looking for a job.I've heard of "underemployed," the term for people, like me, who...

This won't come as a surprise to the 11.6 million unemployed people, but in 2008 there were 43% more people laid off than in 2007, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. There were 7,818 extended mass layoff actions in 2008, affecting 1,383,553 workers. The agency also reported...

For all the workers being laid off and all of the work furloughs being instated at companies across the nation, it looks like companies are getting their money's worth, according to productivity data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Productivity -- measured by output per hour...

Where in the heck is Rock Island County, Ill., and how fast can I get there? According to a report by one of my favorite data sites for labor figures -- the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics -- Rock Island County in Illinois near the Iowa border had the largest over-the-year gain in average...

More people are underemployed, or "involuntary part-time workers," a factor that started before the current recession in December 2007, according to recent figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hooray. I (and 7.3 million other people working part-time for economic reasons) have a...

I've been looking for months to work for a not-for-profit group, mostly because I'm interested in the work they do and would like to find a job helping the community. A recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics points out a few other good reasons: Non-profits are experiencing rapid employment...

Maybe it's the beaches, waves and relaxing atmosphere of the Caribbean. Or maybe the fact that workers are paid so little they don't strain themselves. Whatever the reason, the U.S. Virgin Islands are the safest place for workers in the United States or any of its territories, according to recent...