WASHINGTON – The economy got what it needed in April: a burst of hiring that added a net 290,000 jobs, the biggest monthly total in four years. The improving picture caused so many more people to pour into the labor force in search of employment that the jobless rate rose from 9.7 percent to 9.9 percent. The hiring last month of 66,000 temporary government workers to conduct the census added to overall job creation. But private employers — the backbone of the economy — contributed the most: A surprisingly strong 231,000 jobs, the most since March 2006, the Labor Department said Friday. The new jobs, generated by sectors across the economy, are the first sign that the recovery is adding significant numbers of new jobs — even if not enough to absorb the influx of jobseekers. That's why the unemployment rate rose. More>>
- 10 New Rules for Today's Job Hunt
If you are mid-career, out of work and looking, you've probably already figured this one out: The tried-and-true job-hunting techniques that served you so well in the past no longer fill the bill. [See 15 essentials to getting hired.] While you were faithfully toiling away for the same employer, maybe for decades, a lot changed. Today it's a brave new world of social media and digital resumes and Google-ability. What's more, many extremely qualified people are willing to take positions clearly "beneath" them. Some will even work for free.
