Lunch Links for the Labor Day weekend

Not to belabor the point…

For the first time in four months, the nation’s jobless rate is on the rise. The unemployment rate rose to 9.6 percent in July as more than a half-million Americans resumed their search for work in August. The Labor Department reported Friday that companies added a net total of 67,000 new jobs last month.

Policy analyst John Quinterno with South by North Strategies notes that for those looking for work or those hoping to find a better job this Labor Day, you’ll need patience:

Jobs remained hard to find in August. Last month, 42 percent of unemployed workers had been jobless for at least six months with the average spell of unemployment lasting for 33.6 weeks. Many other individuals stopped looking, and counting those individuals and those working part-time on an involuntary basis brings the underemployment rate to 16.7 percent.

Is there a pill for that?

For those who enjoy employer-sponsored health coverage, be prepared to pay more.

A new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that workers on average are paying nearly $4,000 this year toward the cost of family health coverage – an increase of 14 percent, or $482, above what they paid last year.

“With the economy struggling, businesses have been shifting more of the costs of health insurance to workers through premiums, deductibles and other cost-sharing,” Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman, Ph.D., said. “This may be helping to stem the rapid rise in premiums that we saw in the early 2000s, but it also means employer coverage is less comprehensive.  From a consumer perspective, the cost of health insurance just keeps going up faster than wages.”

Links to leave you ‘All shook up’

BlueNC weighs in on the Herald-Sun’s decision to eliminate the comments section on its stories.

TPM has Newt Gingrich’s new plan to stop the building of an Islamic Center near Ground Zero.

A new Rasmussen Reports national survey finds that 61% of U.S. Voters say offshore oil drilling should be allowed.

Public Policy Polling blogs that John Edwards has now been surpassed by Alaska’s Levi Johnston as the most unpopular person PPP has polled in any state. (Well, at least they both have nice hair.)

USA Today reports Elvis impersonators are making a comeback, and may be our new barometer for how well the economy is recovering.

Finally, looking for something to do on Labor Day? How about adopting a new four-legged friend?

Our friends at the Wake County SPCA will be open on Monday with reduced adoption fees for the holiday. A little more work earns you a lot more love.