unemployment
Latest
Cyberattack impacts unemployment benefits in several states
Some state-run jobseeking sites are also inaccessible after an attack on a vendor.
Facial recognition systems are denying unemployment benefits across the US (updated)
A facial recognition system from ID.me is denying unemployment benefits to people across the US with potentially concerning frequency.
Fraud ring uses stolen data to scam unemployment insurance programs
Fraudsters have been using stolen identity data to milk unemployment insurance systems with poor security.
Headspace is offering free mindfulness courses to unemployed Americans
Mindfulness app Headspace is offering a free one-year subscription to anyone in the US who is unemployed.
Coursera makes courses available for free to the unemployed
Coursera is helping governments return people to work by offering its online courses for free.
Google displays unemployment benefit details based on your state
The search engine will display official guidance on claiming benefits by state.
NY court rules Postmates couriers are entitled to unemployment benefits
Gig economy workers in New York won a significant battle this week after the state's Court of Appeals ruled in their favor against Postmates. Supporting a previous state decision, the court said Postmates couriers should be considered employees for the purposes of unemployment insurance. Moving forward, the company must support its contractors by paying into New York's Unemployment Insurance Fund on their behalf.
California Unemployment office says Uber driver was an employee
If you ask Uber, none of their drivers are employees -- just independent contractors who happen to use their network to get fares. If you've been watching the news though, you know some drivers disagree: filing lawsuits both in California and the UK for the right to be recognized as employees. Those drivers just got some vindication, by way of the California unemployment office. According to the Employment Development Department, at least one former Uber driver qualifies for unemployment benefits.
You can use Twitter activity to track unemployment
Governments aren't usually quick to react to changes in demographics. They frequently have to take surveys that are not only slow, but don't always paint a complete picture of what's going on. Researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid have discovered a far more effective way of keeping tabs on the population, however: tracking Twitter updates. They've found that the content, frequency and timing of tweets across Spain correlate well with joblessness levels in their respective regions. People in high unemployment areas tend to not only mention jobs more often in their posts, but tweet more in the morning and make a larger number of spelling mistakes. Since it's both easy and quick to collect that information, it's possible to track economic patterns almost as they happen -- you can see when a financial crisis hits a city hard, or when there's a job boom.
The iPad is taking away American jobs, Jesse Jackson Junior's sanity (video)
You know how ebooks are gradually taking over paper books as the most popular format for the consumption of the written word? Well, that's bad, mmkay? Publishers, librarians, and booksellers are losing their jobs and It's all entirely the iPad's fault. Forget the Kindle's millions of sales, the iPad did it. In a technophobic rant to rival all technophobic rants that have come before it, Illinois Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. accuses the iPad's popularity for the current level of unemployment in his nation, before proceeding to sculpt a rickety argument about how the First Amendment to the US Constitution is being exploited for the benefit of China. See his tirade on video after the break.
Stephen Elop: There will be 'substantial reductions in employment' inside Nokia
Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer are in the middle of a Q&A now. When Elop was asked by a concerned Finnish reporter, "What happens to Finland," Stephen responded that a successful Nokia is good for Finland but there will be "substantial reductions in employment" in Finland and around the world. We can't even imagine what it's like to be working inside of Nokia at the moment but the stress, frustration, and concern must be extraordinarily high.
APB now being produced by over 250 people
The guys from Realtime Worlds have been too busy firing their 'gats into the air and driving around in circles to notice that they were still hiring during the recession where UK unemployment has soared.The developers of All Points Bulletin are now the proud employers of over 250 people, and they're still hiring for over 40 more positions. To compensate for all of their new crew members, the developers has just recently purchased another 8,000 square feet of offices to add to their already sizable 26,000 square foot establishment.So way to go Realtime Worlds. Show the economy that you're willing to mess with it all you want. If you ask us, we think you should drive your cars over it a few more itmes -- it needs to learn a valuable lesson.
Microsoft cutting 5,000 jobs, sadface emoticons abound
Amid the flurry of terrible economic news, Microsoft yesterday reported an 11 percent drop in profits for the second quarter (down to $4.17 billion from $4.71 billion last year). Well, now it looks like things aren't going to get any better in Redmond for the time being: the company's announced it's going to lay of 5,000 people over the next year and a half, citing the implosion of the global economy, saying they fully expect their revenue to experience further decline this year. Not fun. Check out Steve Ballmer's truly depressing (yet terribly non-dramatic) memo to Microsoft staff after the break.
Virtual bicycles, real cause
Second Life is a great place for nonprofits and altruistic causes to connect with like-minded people. Real conversations can be had there, and real friendships have formed through working toward a common goal. In that spirit, Virtual Africa is the SL build currently under development by Uthango Social Investments, a charity based in Capetown, South Africa. They're currently running a fundraising drive through SL for a new Opportunity Center for unemployed job seekers. "The Opportunity Centre is a revamped cow shed that we need to equip with computers, office resources and mentors to assist job seekers, small entrepreneurs and community members in making their own way out of poverty by actively pursuing their dreams," said Dorette Steenkamp, co-executive director of Uthango. "The [e]bizikile fundraising event is meant to bring attention to how bicycles fit into the economy in African cities and rural towns." Basically, residents can buy a bicycle designed by Shukran Fahid of !BooPeRFunK! for L$250, and choose to contribute to a fund for buying a real Capetown resident a bicycle. SL charity organization Charitable Hearts is helping to organize this effort to get the SL community involved in making a real world difference in someone's life. For more information on this fundraiser, contact Enakai Ultsch or Alanagh Recreant in-world.[Thanks, Cybergrrl!]
