34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - Directions - (508) 222-7000
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Special Reports
From bad to worse
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By Rick Foster Sun Chronicle Staff

December's jobless figures hit home with a sickening thud. Now, comes January's report.

Experts say December was only the beginning. With the holidays behind us, the economy appeared to be sliding deeper into recession, along with additional layoffs in the months ahead.

In December, 589,000 workers filed new jobless claims nationwide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Official confirmation that unemployment could get worse arrived Friday in a Labor Department report.

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The faces of unemployment
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BY MATT KAKLEY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

ATTLEBORO - With the economy in free fall and thousands more workers losing their jobs each month, a virtual army of the unemployed is seeking jobless benefits and setting out on new career paths.

In December alone, 1,411 residents in the Sun Chronicle area lost their jobs, leading large crowds to swarm in the Attleboro Career Center on Mechanic Street. The center assists residents in securing state benefits and also provides training and courses for those looking to learn new career skills.

Last week, several center patrons who recently found themselves unemployed were willing to share stories about how they ended up in their predicaments and how they're planning to get themselves out of them.
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How to file for unemployment

In Massachusetts, unemployment claims can be filed either in person or by phone. Services available include filing a new claim, reopening an existing claim, resolving problems with claims or attending a career seminar.

Filing in person

The Attleboro Career Center is located at 67 Mechanic St. and can be reached by phone at 508-222-1950 Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30

Filing by phone

Call the TeleClaim Center at 1-877-626-6800 if you are calling from the following area codes: 351, 413, 508, 774, and 978.

Call the TeleClaim Center at 617-626-6800 if you are calling from any other area code.

TeleClaim Center Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 6:30, and Saturday, 8 to 1:30

Information needed to file a claim

- Your Social Security number

- The year you were born

- Your home address, phone number

- Whether you have filed an unemployment insurance claim in Massachusetts or in any other state during the past 12 months

- Your last day of employment

- The names and addresses of all employers you have worked for during the prior 15 months prior and the dates you worked for each of these employers. If you are reopening a claim, be ready with the same information for the past eight weeks

- The reason you are no longer working or why your hours have been reduced
 

Grab your pink slip and party
Photo NEW YORK - The bar was crowded with well-dressed professionals enjoying drinks and conversation, a typical evening - except that many of them had no job.

The event was a Wall Street Pink Slip Party, where the unemployed mix with recruiters and curious bystanders to network, look for work, and share their stories.
Co-worker couples losing both incomes
Photo It is a well-known risk to lack diversity in an investment portfolio. Now, couples employed by the same company are learning a similar lesson, the hard way.

As layoffs mount across the country and in all sectors, couples who are co-workers are increasingly vulnerable to losing their families' twin sources of income at once. The lack of variety in job skills can also make it difficult to bounce back, especially in a struggling industry.