Unemployment insurance mess a job-killing machine for state.
Byline: John O'Leary COLUMN: AS I SEE IT When people fly to Massachusetts from Arizona to collect Massachusetts unemployment insurance, don't you think it's a signal that our benefits are too high? In 2004, more than 2,000 people who had never lived in...

ACS Provides Electronic Payment Card for Unemployment Benefits in Oklahoma.
DALLAS, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oklahomans will have a faster and more convenient way to access unemployment insurance benefits, following an announcement today that Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. will provide the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission with electronic payment card (EPC) services. The system will become active December 1, 2008....

Hiring Measure Projects Higher Jobless Claims; Weekly results have high probability of projecting unemployment claims.
Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Employee perceptions of the job market suggest odds are better than 7 in 10 that new unemployment claims continued to surge last week, surpassing the 515,000 reported by the Labor Department a week ago. PRINCETON, NJ -- Weekly aggregates...

The cost variations: expenses and awards are important considerations for employers, particularly in a tough economy. A recent survey found that workers' comp costs vary widely from one state to the next.
Summary * For employers, Arizona's the best place to do business from a workers' comp and disability perspective. * Among the top 10 states for employers to do business, five are located in the Midwest. * The reduction in claims frequency has allowed...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI)(TM) Suggests Employers Will Continue to Aggressively Reduce Payrolls Well Into 2009.
NEW YORK, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI)(TM) continued its steep decline in October. The index fell in October to 105.3, down 1.8 percent from the September revised figure of 107.2, and down almost 12 percent from a year ago. "The sharp...

Elisa "Alice" Viscosi, 83.
WORCESTER Elisa "Alice" (Berni) Viscosi, 83, of Worcester passed away peacefully, Sunday, October 12th 2008 in her home surrounded by her beloved family. Elisa's husband of 53 years Carmen A. Viscosi passed away in 1999. She is survived by her three devoted daughters; Linda M. Limoli and...

FEMA rejects benefits for fishermen.
Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard SALEM - The Bush administration on Friday rejected Oregon's request for unemployment benefits to coastal fishermen idled by the closure of the commercial salmon season. The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent a letter to Gov. Ted Kulongoski saying the closure...

Hynix employees greeted news of their job loss Wednesday less with anger than a sense of grim acceptance, people at the plant said.
Byline: Diane Dietz The Register-Guard Hynix employees greeted news of their job loss Wednesday less with anger than a sense of grim acceptance, people at the plant said. Four months ago, the company began shutting down machines here and there across departments. Two months ago,...

LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.
Byline: The Register-Guard Obama's got the right stuff The first time Abraham Lincoln campaigned for president, his entire office-holding rsum consisted of one term as a congressman and three terms in the Illinois Legislature. He was a great man and arguably our greatest...

Economic drag; State needs to fix its unemployment system.
COLUMN: IN OUR OPINION A policy brief from the Pioneer Institute spotlights chronic obstacle to job creation and retention in Massachusetts: The state's overly generous unemployment insurance system. The report makes clear that the system is broken in two ways. First, companies that provide steady employment subsidize...