HELP WANTED: When layoffs hit home

The journeys of 88 unemployed people in Northeast Ohio

The average length of unemployment for American workers in October was nearly 27 weeks -- more than six months, the longest since the Labor Department started to keep track in 1948. Full story »

  W hat does Labor Day mean? For most Americans, the first Monday in September has meant only the last hurrah of summer, cookouts and furniture sales. But on this first Labor Day since the global financial crisis sent a faltering economy into a destructive tailspin, there is reason to pause and to ponder what the holiday is really about.... Full story »

In Ohio, 17 percent of adults between 18 and 64 don't have health insurance, according to the 2008 Ohio Family Health Survey. That's up from 15 percent the year before. And nearly 90 percent of Ohio doctors say they've seen an increase in the last nine months in the number of patients who have lost their insurance.  Full story »

Americans who have lost their jobs -- and the benefits that go with them -- have flocked to COBRA health insurance plans this year. COBRA, short for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, is the federal law that allows employees who lose their jobs to continue their employers' health insurance by picking up the entire cost. For many people, especially... Full story »

After nine months of looking for a job, Theresa Ross is now on the other side of the interview table. She found a job working at head-hunting firm Michael Page International in New York City and is now helping place job seekers in accounting and finance positions.  Full story »

The Plain Dealer is following 88 recently unemployed Northeast Ohioans during an extended series called "Help Wanted" that will explore their hopes and fears, defeats and triumphs as they search for work in this down economy. • Kina Kerst, laid off by AmTrust Bank, finds work with Freddie Mac • For Denise Radovick, success came after months of working... Full story »

The economic factors that led to Kina Kerst's layoff in December ultimately led her to the new job she landed in June. After six months on the job market, Kerst, 47, is now institutional investigations manager at Freddie Mac in McLean, Va. She had been employed at AmTrust Bank in Cleveland since 2001, most recently as a liaison between... Full story »

Denise Radovick did the same routine for seven months: Get up early to go to work despite the fact she didn't have a job. "I didn't want to fall into a rut, and I wanted to be prepared for when I landed my next job," said Radovick, an Aurora resident. "I was on the computer, networking, as soon as I... Full story »

Maybe it is who you know. Two months after he was laid off from his work in shipping and receiving, 26-year-old Tommas Ventura landed a new job as a security guard -- thanks to his brother. David Ventura had just gotten a promotion and suggested his boss consider Tommas as his replacement. He had already filled out an application.... Full story »

For Willette Crawford, online seems to be the best route to the bachelor's degree she has been working on for the past 10 years. The 46-year-old Cleveland resident -- one of the laid-off workers in The Plain Dealer's "Help Wanted" series -- has aced the first three online courses she has taken through Ashford University in Iowa. "It's very intense,... Full story »

If you're a laid-off worker who decides to go back to school, does that mean you have to give up your unemployment compensation? "As a general rule, folks can go back to school to take training courses as long as they're still looking for work," Brian Harter, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said in an... Full story »

Federal stimulus money is bringing more resources to Northeast Ohio to help laid-off workers seeking a college degree or certification of skills. One-Stop Centers are a good place to start figuring out what to study and how to find financial aid. Full story »

Michelle Maloney, who was let go from WGAR FM/99.5 in January, started a new job selling Lexus cars May 18. "It's a huge relief, because I just got my last severance check last month," Maloney wrote in an e-mail. She had been part of the wake-up crew on WGAR and had worked at the station since 2004. Her profile... Full story »

Carmen Mayhugh never underestimates the power of positive thinking. She tries to take it with her wherever she goes. She brought it with her on a recent interview for a customer service position at General Pest Control in Cleveland. And on May 4, the company hired her, making Mayhugh the latest of the 88 participants in the Plain Dealer's "Help... Full story »

It wasn't until last fall that Theresa Ross started to get really worried about finding a job. Before that, the 24-year-old Solon native and 2007 OSU marketing grad was on what she hoped to be a fast track to success. Now recent graduates competing against each other for fewer jobs, but they're also up against more-experienced workers who graduated a few years before them and are back in the job market, said Heidi Schierholtz, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute.  Full story »