labor

Fewer Americans are having trouble paying their mortgages now compared to a year ago, according to a new survey. The bad news? Fewer Americans have mortgages. Some of those who were struggling last year have since sold or foreclosed.

As the economy picks back up, more and more people are working from home. The number of home-based U.S. businesses will grow by more than 10% over the next four years, and the number of telecommuters will rise by 12%. But that's not all based on the recovery: Many are victims of the recession.

Spurred largely by a 1999 report that cited gender discrimination among reasons why women accounted for less than 10% of MIT's science and engineering faculty, the school made a concerted effort to address the stereotypes and misconceptions that limited women's advancement through MIT's academia. The effort appears to have paid off.

When Ford awarded CEO Alan Mulally more than $50 million in compensation for 2010's record profit it raised eyebrows around Detroit. Now, the UAW is using that big payday as a rallying point for members as it starts negotiations to regain some of what autoworkers gave up in concessions during the downturn.

Teens hoping for employment this summer aren't likely to find the job market much better than last year, when teenage job seekers experienced the weakest seasonal market in decades.

The nation's employers are slowly becoming more positive about the economy, with a greater number of businesses planning to add jobs in the second quarter and fewer planning layoffs, according to a new survey released Tuesday by Manpower. Among the more than 18,000 employers polled in its latest survey, Milwaukee-based Manpower found 16% of companies expect to increase staff levels during the three-month period that begins April 1, up from 14% during the first quarter. Meanwhile, just 6% of employers expect to lay off workers, a decline from 10% during the first three months of the year.

Unemployment has been slipping, according to a new U.S. Labor Department report Friday. But what about underemployment? According to a new Gallup poll released Friday, national underemployment averaged 19% last year, and Illinois, California and Michigan had the highest rates.

A half-dozen Delta Air Lines flight attendants sued the carriers for what they say is discrimination in the form of smaller profit-sharing paychecks for former Northwest Airlines employees, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

North Dakota topped Gallup's list of best places to find jobs last year, followed by other states rich in natural resources, such as South Dakota and Alaska. Meanwhile, Nevada, New Jersey and California were the worst states for job hunters.

The notion that somehow public workers' pay packages are breaking the state budget just don't hold up. These workers' entire compensation package -- salary, health care, pensions, etc. -- make up a tiny fraction of Wisconsin's spending.