Employee Participation

State officials in Georgia are reaching out to over 500 people who lost their jobs in the recent Hostess company liquidation.

Montana's Labor Department says the average unemployment insurance rate for employers is going down because more residents are returning to work.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 393,000 last week. It was the second straight drop after Superstorm Sandy had driven applications much higher earlier this month.

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.7 percent annual rate from July through September, much faster than first thought. The strength is expected to fade in the final months of the year because of uncertainty about looming tax increases and government spending cuts.

Engineering employees confidence slipped to 54.4 in the third quarter for a drop of 4.6 points from the second quarter, marking the second consecutive decline in 2012, according to the Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index.

New Mexico labor officials say they have cut the unemployment insurance fraud rate over the past year and continue to crack down on improper payments.