Department of Labor

New forecasts show that the worst may be over for the construction industry, which was hit harder by the Great Recession than any other sector, as construction projects slowly resume. Some 27% of construction firms say they plan to add staff this year, while only 20% plan to cut jobs.

If the stock market reflected the entire economy, happy days would surely be here again. But, alas, it reflects just the profit potential of public companies. And for millions of unemployed Americans, that's proving to be no help at all.

The jobs market gained steam in October as companies added 151,000 jobs - the largest amount since May. Despite the better-than-expected gains, the unemployment rate remained steady at 9.6%.

U.S. nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses fell about 8% last year, as manufacturers had the largest one-year percentage drop in such incidents in at least six years, the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday.

Labor Day isn't just about rounding out the summer season with a nice three-day weekend, of course. It's a "national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country", notes the Labor Department, and has been a national holiday for over 100 years. In that vein, here's a roundup of recent labor-oriented legal news:

After falling for three straight months, unemployment rates rose in most U.S. metropolitan areas in June. Is this growing joblessness more evidence of a double-dip recession?

New rules mean that companies that provide 401(k) plans and services to employers will have to spell out their fees. More than 10 different types of fees and expenses can be charged against a 401(k) account for services such as record-keeping and administration, according to the Associated Press....

At the risk of beating what by now might seem like a dead horse, I can't help but revisit the subject of unpaid internships this week – especially now that I've taken a closer look at the guidelines issued by the Department of Labor on the subject. Probably because I work with students all...

Poverty is growing in the recession, with nearly 40 million Americans living at or below the official poverty level in 2008. That figure includes more than 14 million children and a growing class of "working poor."

Although it seems like toting up the numbers should be fairly straightforward, it turns out to be a complicated calculation, thanks to several inherent difficulties. For starters, unemployment is a snapshot of a moving target.