Jobless benefits run out in record numbers

With the recession midway through its second year, the number of people running out of jobless benefits has reached a record high.

Just as first-time claims for unemployment insurance surged in the sour economy, final payments – made when laid-off workers have exhausted their initial benefits and all extensions – are climbing, with Mecklenburg County numbers more than double from a year ago.
As a result, more people are seeking help from already strained assistance agencies and trying to find creative ways to generate income, from babysitting to braiding hair to refinancing loans to taking on roommates.
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The current recession, however, is the worst since at least the early 1980s and possibly the Great Depression, economists say. That severity plus the Charlotte region's robust population growth in recent years have resulted in the record number of people running out of benefits.

The next several weeks probably won't bring much relief. Although many economists say layoffs have slowed, most companies haven't resumed hiring. Job seekers also compete in a larger labor pool during the summer, when students, teachers and new graduates search for work.

Given that outlook, even people who haven't yet exhausted jobless benefits are searching for other sources of income.
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