Texas clinic operator regrets telling Muslim doctor no-hat policy applied to her headscarf

Texas clinic: Headscarf ban was misunderstanding

Japan’s jobless rate in September down for second month to 5.3 percent; prices keep falling

Japan jobless rate falls for second straight month

Metro jobless rates fall in September, but mostly reflects discouraged workers dropping out

Metro jobless rates fall as more workers drop out

Review of Michigan employment program finds 72 percent who finish training get, keep jobs

Review finds Mich. retraining grads get, keep jobs

As Obama weighs immigration overhaul, US and foreign workers agree: guest worker visas abused

NASHVILLE — Toribio Jimenez says an asbestos removal company used a guest worker program to trap him in virtual servitude, then fired him when he complained, forcing him to work illegally. Robert Martin believes the same company kept him unemployed by hiring foreigners like Jimenez.

Mass. police say victim finds man accused of stealing her wallet applying for job

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Police said a man accused of stealing a woman’s wallet was tracked down by his alleged victim after he made his getaway on a bus and later tried to fill out a job application. Springfield Capt. Lee Bennett said Thursday that Demot Weaver robbed the woman as she was pulling out money for the fare at a bus stop.

Texas unemployment rate jumps to 8.2 percent; state sees additional 44,700 jobs lost

AUSTIN, Texas — The state unemployment rate jumped to 8.2 percent in September and an additional 44,700 jobs were lost, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday.

Critics cry nepotism in France as President Sarkozy’s 23-year-old son seeks powerful job

PARIS — He’s 23 and has no college degree, and he’s angling for a plum job overseeing France’s premier business district. Jean Sarkozy, whose papa is the nation’s president, is likely to get what he wants.

Iraqis struggle to find jobs, build new lives in America _ and long for better days

Her mansion in Iraq was bombed, her medical career and future in her beloved country dashed the day she found a white envelope on her car windshield. Inside was a single bullet. Wassan Yassin was marked for death.

Competition for jobs at highest level since recession began, 6 unemployed pursue each opening

WASHINGTON — The number of job seekers competing for each opening has reached the highest point since the recession began, according to government data released Friday.

Signs of fitful recovery emerge in some areas, AP stress map shows, but gains may be fleeting

WASHINGTON — Signs of a slow and fitful recovery emerged in August in some communities across the country where unemployment dropped and foreclosures stabilized, according to The Associated Press’ monthly analysis of economic stress in more than 3,100 U.S. counties.

Japan’s unemployment rate at 5.5 percent in August, down from record high

TOKYO — Japan’s jobless rate fell and household spending climbed in August — a double dose of good news for the world’s No. 2 economy though it may not last.

STIMULUS WATCH: Youth unemployment high despite US program; critic says ‘too little, too late’

FRESNO, Calif. — The Obama administration’s economic stimulus program to find jobs for thousands of teenagers this summer couldn’t overcome one of the bleakest job markets in more than 60 years that had desperate adults competing for the same kind of work.

Recession’s impact: Census data show longer commutes, delayed marriage, fewer immigrants

WASHINGTON — A broad survey of Americans has provided striking measures of the recession’s effect on life at home and at work: People are now stuck in traffic longer, less apt to move away and more inclined to put off marriage and buying a house.

Young foreigners travel to China to hunt for jobs as home markets battered by crisis

BEIJING — When the best job Mikala Reasbeck could find after college in Boston was counting pills part-time in a drugstore for $7 an hour, she took the drastic step of jumping on a plane to Beijing in February to look for work.

Recognizing mutual economic peril, Atlantic City casinos and unions seek to prevent strike

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The contract between most of Atlantic City’s 11 casinos and the workers who keep them clean and stocked with food and drink expired Tuesday, but both sides plan to continue talks.

Ex-Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card says he is considering running for Kennedy’s Senate seat

NEWTON, Mass. — Former Bush White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card says he is “thinking very seriously” about running for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s vacant Senate seat.

Australian jobless rate steady as unemployed abandon job search, shrinking labor force

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s jobless rate remained steady at 5.8 percent for a third month in August despite a continuing shift from full-time to part-time employment due to the near-stagnant economy, figures showed Thursday.

US government finds job openings at lowest level in 9 years, though pockets of hiring exist

WASHINGTON — Job openings fell to the lowest level in nine years in July, according to a Labor Department report Wednesday, as businesses remain reluctant to hire despite signs the economy is improving.

AP: Those losing their first jobs or nearing retirement face extra challenges after layoffs

ORLANDO, Fla. — Marcus Wells and Shirley Walker view their economic prospects from opposite ends of the age spectrum.

Meltdown 101, by the numbers: Labor market collapse has reshaped the US work force

When Labor Day arrives Monday, it will be celebrated by a work force that has changed radically since the same holiday in 2008.

Study finds rapidly graying US work force as older Americans hold onto jobs during recession

WASHINGTON — Older Americans will make up virtually all of the growth in the U.S. work force in the coming years as a nearly unprecedented number hold onto jobs and younger people decide to stay in school.

Chinese factories face labor crunch but experts say it’s not necessarily sign of full recovery

XINTANG, China — During the first half of this year, Yang Zongfu’s blue jean factory had few customers. Now, as his business picks up, he can’t find enough workers.

State fairs: Butter sculptures, animal barns, food on sticks _ and for many, badly needed jobs

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — A year’s worth of failed job leads prepared Richard Briggs for anything, including night shifts as a Minnesota State Fair custodian.