Benefits Manager

House Republicans say a fresh push for a 1,700-mile Canada-to-Texas pipeline could be part of a new round of negotiations over extending the payroll tax cut and benefits for the long-term unemployed.

New Jersey officials say the unemployment rate dropped 0.1 percent in December, to 9 percent.

There is expected to be a continued focus on well-being, and more employees believe their employers should provide the tools and resources to help them simplify their lives and be healthy, according to the 2012 Workplace Trends Report by Sodexo, a provider of daily life solutions.

Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has declined for the third straight month in December, to 9.7 percent, state labor officials said Thursday.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson sued a debt collection agency on Thursday, saying it failed to protect the confidentiality of health care records for thousands of state residents and did not reveal the extent of its involvement in their health care.

While employers continue to struggle finding qualified workers for skilled positions, 32 percent say they are willing to pay for relocation expenses in 2012, according to a nationwide study by CareerBuilder.

Looking ahead to a post-retirement future and the safest withdrawal amount to maintain their savings, still-working employees have a better sense of how to pre-load to get to a financially safter spot.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. The decline added to evidence that the job market is strengthening.