Job Insecurity

Work ain't what it used to be. These days we're more likely to work at home, work part time or work temporarily. But one thing's clear, America still works hard. So as we celebrate our labors by sweating over barbecues on this national holiday, here's a statistical reflection of work in America. The Most Stressful Jobs in America, Top Five: * U.S.

California temporary workers are twice as likely to live in poverty than direct-hire employees, according to a UC Berkeley study released Tuesday.  Temp workers, who are hired at reduced wages by staffing agencies, rely more on state aid to supplement their income, the study found. And work opportunities are fraught with fewer employee protections and greater job insecurity, wrote the study's author, Miranda Dietz, a research data analyst for the Center for Labor Research and Education at the university.

The UCLA basketball team is on a roll, showing hints of becoming special, so these days you get happy Ben Howland, the one who smiles and talks easily, even clapping his hands occasionally. "It's good to be winning," he says. The Bruins coach is a man of many faces. When his weekly meeting with reporters ends, time to get back to business, he could instantly become the grinder, the one who feels every second slipping past, every moment an opportunity to practice or watch film or jump on a plane to recruit.

Women's retailer Charlotte Russe Holding Inc. joined a growing list of chains hit by a back-to-school shopping slump as it sharply reduced its fourth-quarter sales and earnings estimates Thursday. The announcement sent the stock of the San Diego-based operator of the Charlotte Russe and Rampage stores down $3.43, or 23%, closing at $11.20 on Nasdaq. Intense competition, job insecurity and a late Labor Day holiday have caused many U.S. retailers to report disappointing sales in recent weeks.

As the 140-plus pages of job listings in last Saturday's South China Morning Post attest, companies in Asia--both home-grown and multinationals--are still hiring. In spite of the high-visibility bankruptcies and drastic job cutbacks in Asia's hardest-hit economies, the job market remains brisk, according to representatives of U.S. executive search firms.

Hospitals across California and the country are reeling from the effects of the economic downturn and the troubled financial markets. Patients are putting off medical care because of job losses, job insecurity and high out-of-pocket expenses. As a result, the number of paying patients and profitable elective procedures is down. At the same time, the number of uninsured patients whom hospitals treat is rising. Like just about everybody else, hospitals are losing money on their investments.

Things are looking up at Notre Dame. The Irish are coming off a 42-21 upset of 23rd-ranked Pittsburgh in Charlie Weis' coaching debut. But then things were looking up as recently as 2002, when Tyrone Willingham, now at Washington, started 8-0 on his way to a 10-2 regular-season record. So Irish fans might want to put their enthusiasm on hold. "A plan to repaint 'Touchdown Jesus' as 'Crewcut Charlie' seems a bit premature," wrote Reggie Hayes of the Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel.

Consumer confidence tumbled again in April as deteriorating business conditions and job insecurity soured March's more upbeat mood, a report that cemented expectations for more interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. The Conference Board said Tuesday its broad index of consumer attitudes slid to 109.2 in April, matching a 4 1/2-year low hit in February and compared with a downwardly revised 116.9 in March.

A long-anticipated consolidation of U.S. airlines could mean higher fares for travelers as overlapping routes are eliminated, experts said Wednesday as talk of likely deals reverberated throughout the industry. That's one reason any such buyout could draw intensified regulatory scrutiny, along with the potential for increased labor and service disruptions, as some consumer advocates warn.

Delayed presidential election results and rising job cuts could be scarier than the Grinch, according to a top retail analyst and a report released Wednesday showing a surge in announced layoffs. Richard Giss, a partner in Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles, said he believes the firm's recent forecast of 5.