Employee Participation

Nebraska's unemployment rate edged up to 4 percent in July, the state Labor Department said in a report released Friday.

Utah's unemployment rate held steady at 6 percent in July for the fourth month in a row, bucking a nationwide trend that saw jobless rates in 44 states inch upward, officials said Friday.

Despite todays high unemployment numbers, employers continue to struggle finding job candidates with the right soft skills, such as leadership and problem-solving abilities.

Unemployment in Rhode Island edged down slightly in July, but the state continues to shed jobs and post the country's second-highest jobless rate, according to new data released Friday.

Unemployment rates rose in 44 U.S. states in July, the most states to show a monthly increase in more than three years and a reflection of weak hiring nationwide.

Pennsylvania's economy is struggling, if a Thursday report from the state on July's hiring and unemployment rate is an indication.

Wisconsin added nearly 37,500 private sector jobs between March 2011 and March 2012, though total job growth was only 1.1 percent because of government job losses, according to data released Thursday by Gov. Scott Walker's administration.

The rural economy is sputtering in 10 Midwest and Great Plains states as farmers try to cope with this summer's severe drought, according to the newest monthly survey of bankers released Thursday.