Employment

About 5 million Californians got a first glimpse at what they might pay next year under the federal healthcare law. For many, that coverage will come with a hefty price tag. Compared with what individual policies cost now, premiums are expected to rise an average of 30% for many middle-income residents who don't get their insurance through their employers. Alternatively, lower-income consumers will reap the biggest savings and are projected to save as much as 84% off their coverage thanks to federal subsidies.

Like the sluggish box office, the jobs picture in Hollywood isn't looking pretty so far this year. Employment in the motion picture, television and sound recording category fell 7.3% to 114,700 jobs in January, compared with the same period a year ago, according to the latest figures from the state's Employment Development Department. In fact, the employment level in January was the lowest of any month since January 2001, when employment also stood at 106,300 jobs, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - When she was 19, Neide Cardeal da Silva left her family, who barely scraped by living off the land, to move in with a family she'd never met. For the next 10 years, she and two other young women worked for Miss Maria Cecilia, keeping the house and family in order. On her one day off a week, she used the apartment's second door, which led directly to the servants' quarters. The worst part about her arrangement, she says, was feeling she was always being watched.

It remains to be seen whether "Spring Breakers" turns out to be one of the movies of the year, but it is without question a movie of its moment. It has been a source of intense interest since shooting first started around St. Pete Beach in Florida last spring, as images began to surface via paparazzi and social media of young starlets Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson. Seeming to be a part of raunchy spring break shenanigans, they were seen riding scooters, frolicking on the beach and being marched around in bikinis and handcuffs.

Despite an improving economy, employers are waiting longer to fill job openings in their companies even when they receive many applications to a vacancy. Employers now take an average of 23 business days to hire someone for a position, more than a week longer than the 15 days it took in 2009, according to a study conducted by University of Chicago and University of Maryland economists cited by the New York Times. The news is not exactly new. Corporate profits are soaring, but with millions still out of work and an unemployment rate at 7.9%, companies feel little incentive to give raises or hire new workers.

SACRAMENTO - Alarmed that abusive bosses are increasingly threatening to turn employees over to U.S. authorities when they complain about working conditions, state lawmakers and immigrant-rights advocates are calling for tougher laws to combat the practice. The tactic is used against low-wage, undocumented workers in California if they complain about not being paid what they're due or about unsafe working conditions, said Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina). He is chairman of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, which highlighted the issue at a hearing in the state Capitol on Wednesday.

The stock market is flying high, but much of small business America remains grounded. Unlike the big corporations that have been raking in huge profits and stoking the stock market toward the record close Tuesday for the Dow Jones industrial average, most small firms have yet to enjoy the fruits of the nearly 4-year-old recovery. Even though some small employers are starting to see daylight, particularly with the housing market coming back to life, analysts and business owners paint a picture of companies still hampered by weak sales and pangs of uncertainty, particularly over tax and government policies.

The San Antonio Spurs gathered at their training facility last fall to watch a film showcasing their playoff defense. It could have been titled: "I Know What You Didn't Do Last Summer. " They were mostly flat-footed as Russell Westbrook sped past them for layups and Kevin Durant elevated for jumpers and James Harden made the late three-pointer that ultimately swung the Western Conference finals toward the Oklahoma City Thunder. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich forced his players to view their Game 5 defeat in that series in its entirety, a 108-point presentation on botched defensive rotations and missed help opportunities.

WASHINGTON - House Republicans on Wednesday shot down President Obama's 12-hour-old proposal to raise the minimum wage. House Speaker John A. Boehner told reporters that the president's call to raise the federal minimum wage $1.75 an hour would only exacerbate the nation's employment challenge. “When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it,” the Ohio Republican told reporters Wednesday morning. “At a time when the American people are still asking the question 'Where are the jobs?

MEXICO CITY - You might be hard-pressed to find the word "Mexico" in some of the advertising for tourist resorts in Mexico. Brands like "Riviera Maya" often eclipse the name of the country where those lush beaches are located. As deadly violence that has haunted Mexico for years threatens tourist zones, government officials and trade executives are scrambling for ways to minimize damage to an industry that is a top income-earner and employer. The rapes last week of six Spanish women vacationing in Acapulco have heightened fear and called into question the government's ability to control crime and attract foreign visitors.