As the years go by, the thought of working forty hours a week in an office or cubicle has begun to lose its appeal. People are beginning to search for alternative ways to spend less time in an office and more time doing what they want to do. Many people have begun making their living out of their homes and have found that starting is easier than they thought. Whether they are a stay-at-home parents, a retirees, or people who simple enjoy staying at home, an at home job could be the answer to all of their problems and would allow for a more convenient and flexible job that could satisfy nearly any personality.

There are numerous job markets that allow individuals to work from home rather than staying cooped up in an office. Some markets that offer the most work are in freelance writing, graphic design, publishing, data entry, and transcription. In the past, many writers, designers, and artists struggled to find steady work because they were not living in an area where there was a large demand for their profession. Now, through online sites and databases, freelancers are able to find and keep work that pays well and satisfies their career desires.

Before beginning a search for at home jobs, individuals should do a significant amount of research to find the best job type for them. A good place to start looking is Free Agent Nation, which is known to hold vast amounts of research materials for individuals looking to start a career at home. Creator Dan Pink gives people invaluable knowledge on the work-at-home business and gives tips on how to start and keep an effective career from home.

Another valuable resource is the Work At Home Index, which gives individuals an entire listing of legitimate jobs that have been checked and approved by their staff. They have a convenient top three list of the best work-at-home opportunities that they feel are the most successful. The actual index is filled with hundreds of job listings that are separated into easy to search categories, making finding the right job even easier. They also list jobs that are specifically designed for moms and those interested in data entry, and they provide access to courses and guides that give instructions and advice to potential workers.

One website that has nearly any at home job imaginable is FreelanceJobs.com, which offers access to job sites, articles, message boards, and online courses. It is a one-stop shopping center for all things related to working from home. They provide access to several freelance portfolios in different categories, from basics like bookkeepers and legal assistants to more unique jobs in entertainment and art. The message boards are a great addition because they allow people to talk to others that are in the same position in order to get and give valuable advice. One of the biggest perks of the site is that they offer access to health insurance, which can sometimes be hard to find for self-employed individuals.

Aardvarks Home Workers Association (AHWA) is one of the largest resources available for finding at home jobs. Their site allows individuals to post resumes, search jobs, and even educates them on the best ways to work from home. This convenience of having everything in one place has enthralled many people searching for work they can do outside of the office.

Another good site is HomeJobsOnline.com. They have spent time researching and finding the best at-home jobs and offer a helpful newsletter that lists all of the latest news and job openings available. The site also offers access to a database with over 200 job listings posted. HomeJobsOnline gives suggestions of places to look for different categories of jobs, including home businesses and side jobs. The site’s many amenities are free of charge, but they do require users to subscribe to their newsletter.

BizLancers.com is another useful site that answers all of the tough questions concerning at home work. They have articles from the “Ten Best At-Home Jobs” to “Tips on How to Avoid Scams.” The site also allows people to connect with others to chat and ask questions about their work. BizLancers has links to several different popular, legitimate sites that hire people and allow others to start businesses in their own home.

The most important thing for individuals to remember before committing to an at-home job is to do extensive research on jobs in the fields in which they express interest. Also, it is necessary to make sure the sites visited are legitimate and approved by the Better Business Bureau. If these simple precautions are taken, then it is likely that anyone will be able to start a successful at-home business venture in no time.

The medical transcription industry has become an important fixture in the medical field, helping to provide accurate files for medical patients. The job market for medical transcriptionists (MTs) is at an all-time high, yet many people are not aware of the proper training and courses that must be completed before starting a career as an MT. Luckily, there are many courses available that will train prospective MTs and even allows others to continue their education in order to further their work in the MT field.

One of the foremost experts in the medical transcription field is the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), formerly the American Association for Medical Transcriptionists (AAMT). The people at AHDI sponsor several different medical transcription courses that are all AHDI approved. They have also written several books that have become the go-to texts for many medical transcription courses. The Model Curriculum for Medical Transcription is one book that the AHDI has published and is used widely around the country to teach potential MTs all they need to know about the medical transcription industry. The association has also published the AAMT Book of Style for Medical Transcription, which has become the gold standard for use in the medical transcription field. This book shows MTs the right and wrong ways to word certain phrases and gives the correct terminology required to make all records as accurate as possible. The AHDI also offers CDs, audiotapes, and video-based texts for those students wishing to study independently or for classroom use.

Some of the AHDI approved schools that use these texts can be found all over the country and online. One school that has received rave reviews is the Penn Foster Career School, which teamed up with DANTES (a program in coordination with the U.S. military) to help students pay their tuition to the school. Penn Foster prides itself on being one of the most affordable ways to study to be an MT, and it offers various payment plans to suite any needs.

Another good educational institute is Allied Schools, which not only trains individuals to be MTs but also teaches them valuable life skills to prepare them for the job market. Allied Schools offers courses on interview skills, teaches how to write a resume and cover letter, and also introduces students to contacts in the field. The school also offers a one year membership to the Medical Association of Billers (MAB) upon completion of the course.

Physically going to school is not the only way to take MT courses. There is a variety of courses offered online and at home so that anyone can choose the most convenient option for them. Online-Education.net is a great site that provides links to various schools that offer both one year certificates and two year associate degrees. The site claims to have a 93% placement rate for all students who search on it.

MedWord.com is another good site for those who want to train as an MT online. The program was designed by experienced transcriptionists currently working as MTs to teach valuable lessons from their vast experiences in the field. This environment sets MedWord.com apart from the others because people who visit the site will learn about real life experiences and what the medical transcription field really is like. MedWord.com offers CDs, practice tapes, medical dictionaries, and other great materials that can help provide a full view of the medical transcription industry.

Another great site is WorldWideLearn.com, which offers a unique take on educating potential medical transcriptionists. Not only does the site teach the basics of medical transcription, but it also goes further to help individuals learn all facets of the medical field in which they will work. The course teaches useful medical terms as well as the Greek and Latin roots of those terms in order to help identify terms more easily. Also, students will learn more about the medical field in general and gain a better understanding of the kind of environment in which MTs work. Other subjects that the course teaches are anatomy and physiology, overview of diseases, pharmacology, and lab work.

These options are just a few of the medical transcription courses available to anyone wishing to pursue a career as an MT. Many of the courses are readily available, and the online courses allow individuals to start right away.

Work at home moms face challenges that others do not. You have double the responsibility when you consider family obligations, your desire to create a profitable business working from home, and the need for additional income. There are numerous opportunities for moms working at home, the majority of them online. If you are a work at home mom and you are looking for ways to increase your earnings, take a look at affiliate marketing. Even if your current business does not involve selling products or services through a web site, you can become a successful affiliate marketer and no web site is required. Affiliate marketers can make excellent income each month through the magic of pay per click advertising.

Pay per click advertising is a way to promote affiliate programs online, without a web site. You will be able to join lucrative affiliate programs and promote them with pay per click ads, with the help of the major search engines. The potential to make money through affiliate programs is unlimited. You will not need to develop a web site, develop products or services, or manage inventory or shipping. You can promote the products developed by others and make extra money in just a few hours per week. Pay per click has helped many people build a successful online business without a web site. The commissions earned by some of the more successful affiliate marketers reaches into the thousands of dollars each month.

Work at home moms can make a substantial income and still have time left for family and friends. You can earn great money that multiplies over time thanks to pay per click advertising. If you need an innovative way to increase your earnings, check into what pay per click advertising and affiliate marketing can do for you. You can build a highly profitable online business without owning your own web site. You will be paid commissions each month, and the amount of your commissions is only limited by the amount of work you are willing to put into your business. Affiliate marketing and pay per click advertising is one of the more effective ways to make money online, even if you don’t have a web site.

Pay per click advertising allows you to effectively promote affiliate programs, and the best part is you don’t need a web site to get started. You can make extra money in just a few hours each week. Pay per click is one of the best ways to earn money online. You can work from home, set your own hours, and be a successful affiliate marketer in a short period of time.

Greg Heslin is a best selling author on various legitimate work from home opportunities. To learn more about real work from home opportunities you can visit his web site at www.work-from-home-123.com.

Legal transcription has come into the public view recently being recognized for its efficient and professional influence on legal records and is steadily becoming a popular trend in the legal field. Legal transcriptionists, much like their counterparts in the medical field, listen to dictations from legal professionals and type them into documents that are edited and grammatically correct. These transcriptionists generally listen to testimonies, interrogations, court hearings, and pleadings, after which they compose what they heard into an easily understood document that will turn into record.

Legal transcriptionists generally work for larger firms or private practice attorneys who have a large number of cases. They are also widely used by large corporations, governmental departments, insurance companies, and banks that all have a need for more accurate legal records. A large number of transcriptionists work for the U.S. government attempting to establish a more organized and complete record system.

In order to be good legal transcriptionists, individuals should have a solid understanding of legal terminology. They should have impeccable grammar and a good command of the English language. After transcriptions are complete they become legal records that are extremely useful to lawyers when they are researching to win a case. Thanks to these transcriptionists, legal records are now more clearly written and thorough. The lawyers and paralegals who wrote the records before were often too busy to make sure the records were exact.

The job market is unique in that there is little competition and plenty of jobs. This fact is most likely due to the overwhelming need for accurate and more advanced legal records to help businesses keep better records and provide their clients with more protection. Other ways legal transcriptionists are hired is by companies that choose to outsource the work for lower costs and increased quality. By outsourcing, companies will generally have a quicker turnaround rate as well because they are dividing jobs across the board rather than giving them all to one particular person. However, there has been a growing trend that has threatened the U.S. job market slightly. Many overseas companies have begun to lend their services to U.S. companies for less money and with a quicker turnaround. These companies, with the majority being found in India, have obtained many U.S. clients who choose their services for the lower costs and to get more records completed. Yet, the news is not all bad. Many other businesses look to legal transcriptionists in the U.S. because they have a better understanding of the laws and the English language, a quality that the overseas companies cannot offer.

Although no formal training is required to become a legal transcriptionist, many companies require a basic knowledge of legal terminology and excellent grammatical skills. They also tend to gravitate toward individuals who have prior experience in the medical field, writing, or an extensive knowledge of English. However, there is a new trend in legal transcription that is lowering the chances of less qualified individuals getting jobs. Many companies are hiring retired lawyers to join their team and write up new records. These individuals are good candidates for legal transcription because they know the legal lingo, the laws, and generally people in the business to help them get started. They also have the added advantage of knowing precisely what is needed in files and what is unnecessary.

Although they play a key role in the security and development of better legal records, legal transcriptionists are often underappreciated. The legal transcription field has not yet gained support from governmental organizations as medical transcriptionists have, but their role as newcomers to the business is likely to blame. Despite that, legal transcriptionists are steadily becoming permanent fixtures on law firm and government department payrolls and the need for their services will likely continue to grow even more.

Online marketing is one of the best ways to earn money working from home. With basic online marketing skills, you can turn your vision of working from home into a reality. The only things you really need are a strong motivation to succeed and to be willing to work hard to achieve your goals. Online marketing skills will enable you to earn money, be your own boss, set your own hours, and do so from your home. You will have more time for family and other obligations and with a little patience and persistence, you will be well on your way to earning a living exclusively from the internet.

Before you start your own business and begin working from home, you will need to research the products you intend to sell to make sure they are viable over the long term. You may need money upfront to start your business, although many a successful online marketer has started with very little or no upfront money and have turned that business into a profitable enterprise. Just as with any business, you’ll need leads to sell your products. Advertising, affiliate programs, and high ranking in the search engines will all help you draw customers to your web site.

New web sites and products are introduced online each and every day. To stay competitive you will need to build a customer base that you can rely upon. Newsletters, email promotions, writing blogs and offers of discounts for return customers are all excellent ways to build and maintain a customer base. Online marketers must always provide new content in the newsletters and emails they send out. Loyal customers will not continue to respond to the same advertising techniques over and over again. Be original in your advertisements and keep the content on your web site updated.

Good online marketing techniques will make your home-based business attractive to new customers. Making money as an online marketer requires much more than building a web site and watching the money come in. Effective online marketers make the effort to keep the attention of current customers and attract new ones at the same time. You can make steady income as an online marketer if you work hard to stay ahead of the competition.

Greg Heslin is a best selling author on various legitimate work from home opportunities. To learn more about real work from home opportunities you can visit his web site at www.work-from-home-123.com.

The data entry profession has been steadily opening doors for individuals looking for work they can do from home. This field allows people to pick and choose their workload and work on a schedule that is flexible and unique to their needs. With the growing popularity of posting jobs online, the Internet has become the most efficient way to search and get jobs in data entry.

It is a good idea to do a lot of research on data entry before looking for a job. A well-known expert on the subject is Gil Gordon, who has a lot of experience finding work from home. Gordon has set up a helpful website that provides valuable information about working for home, tips for how to be successful, and several helpful links to find jobs. Another good tip for finding at-home data entry work is to subscribe to a newsletter that posts job openings and offers advice to potential employees.

One of the easiest ways to work from home in data entry, and the option most people choose, is to work via the Internet. Not only does the Internet allow for easy searches, it opens us endless opportunities. There are several legitimate online resources available that make the search for data entry jobs easier and safer, allowing individuals to find work faster and start getting paid.

Tjobs.com is a helpful site that allows people to post their resumes for employers to peruse. The site also offers resume sharpening, adjusting a resume to fit with a specific job market, that allows the best information to be in the forefront. Tjobs’ way of conducting business seems to be successful and effective, with ninety-six percent of employers that post jobs on the site selecting workers from Tjobs.

PortaJobs.com is a site dedicated to helping people find jobs online free of charge. Anyone interested must register for membership, but the vast resources are a great incentive to join. The site is affiliated with many different employers, who are also registered members. The employers not only post jobs but look at user profiles to find potential workers. Jobvertise.com allows individuals to search over 125,000 jobs to find the one that is right for them. The site offers a variety of types of work so it does not focus on one specific field. Jobvertise also allows individuals to browse through careers alphabetically, and it is free of charge.

Many individuals who are working from home are stay-at-home moms who want to spend quality time with their family while still having steady work. MoneyMakingMommy.com is a great website that is specifically geared toward working moms. This site offers a free newsletter to showcase the latest trends and job opportunities for stay-at-home moms. It also has links to popular job sites and provides helpful advice to anyone looking for at-home work.

Although using the Internet to search at-home jobs is the easiest and most effective solution to finding work, there are other ways. Many businesses will hire people outside of their company to work for them from home but generally require some in-office meetings and frequent check-ups on work progress. The easiest way to find these businesses is to call them directly and ask for information.

The data entry field has opened the door for many people to work at home rather than in an office. The combination of convenience and ease of working in this field is second to none for those looking for the most flexible jobs possible. Nowadays it is nearly impossible not to find a job in this field and most opportunities are only a quick click away. There is an abundance of literature and helpful resources available that offer good advice on how to find the best data entry jobs without the hassle of scams and empty promises. With a small amount of research, anyone should be able to find the job that fits well with their unique personality and start working at home in no time.

Many businesses are being forced to downsize their number of employees to cut costs or because the business feels it should operate with fewer employees. Downsizing is the act of reducing the number employees on a company’s payroll and is considered different than layoffs. Downsizing is scaling down the number of employees permanently rather than temporarily like layoffs. Employees who are laid off usually have a good chance at being rehired, where as those who are victims of downsizing do not.

The majority of layoffs are due to a company’s desire to lower costs. Usually there will be employees in positions that are unnecessary, thus allowing the company to do the same amount of work with fewer employees to pay. Other times when layoffs are high are when employees are simply not working to the standards of the company and their competition is much more successful. Sometimes this situation can be prevented if the employees get word of a possible layoff ahead of time, but many times businesses will still layoff employees even if they will lose profits in the end.

When downsizing occurs it is generally due to a much more serious situation than when employees are laid off. Downsizing is almost always a permanent decision, and most people will never get their jobs back. Most causes for downsizing are due to the economic market. For example, if companies’ products are below the current market price, employees are no longer creating products for profit because the company has to put all of the profits toward employee wages. Therefore, companies will only keep workers if the products they are making are earning enough profit for their pay and for the company to profit.

As of April 2007, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 4.5 percent, with largest part of this number coming from the manufacturing sector. Over 230,000 jobs have been lost in this sector, which includes mining, construction, manufacturing, trade, and retail. Most of these layoffs were due to an increase in worker participation and advancements in technology that make many jobs obsolete because they can now be accomplished by a machine that can do more work in less time. The increase in the number of factories being established overseas is also adding to the number of layoffs in the U.S. Many companies will take advantage of the lower wages in other countries and will close U.S. factories down. However, not all layoffs are due to these circumstances. Since a layoff is determined when a worker is separated from a job for more than thirty days, some of the layoffs were due to seasonal breaks from jobs that have high and low seasons.

There are a number of key terms associated with layoffs and downsizing called reductions in force. These terms differentiate between the types of layoffs that are performed. An Involuntary Reduction in Force (IRIF) is when a company chooses to layoff employees without their consent. A Voluntary Reduction in Force (VRIF) is when the employees are active in the decision. A VRIF is usually due to resignation or retirement with promise of a nice payout. Also, if employees have been laid off they are entitled to file for unemployment benefits, depending on the state in which they live.

In today’s job market it is becoming more uncertain who will have a job and who will be laid off. For many unskilled workers’ jobs are being taken over by more cost efficient computers that do the same work while increasing the company’s revenues and production of goods. These people are having a hard time finding quality work and will often resort to living off unemployment payouts or working a harder, lower paying job in less than desirable conditions. Although technology has led to the advancement of so many industries, it is posing a serious threat to the blue-collar workers in the U.S. If the trends continue as they have over the last few years, many of these workers will be permanently out of jobs and unable to support their families. This trend in turn will likely lead to multiple jobs for all capable people in households and continue to support the fact that most American’s spend nearly eighty-five percent of their time in the workplace.

How can you find affiliate marketing programs that are profitable? This is the question asked most often by people who want to make money and increase sales. The following is a brief introduction and description of some of the most effective and profitable affiliate marketing sources:

Commission Junction is one of the most popular affiliate marketing networks. This particular service makes it quite easy to find and join affiliate programs. Payment to affiliates is consolidated into one check that includes all programs. Value Click is the owner of Commission Junction.

Be Free, which has now merged with Value Click is a large network of affiliate marketing programs and offers numerous programs from which to choose. Some of the bigger name programs include Staples, Gap, and EBay.

LinkShare has well over 600 merchants who offer affiliate programs. You can choose from various categories such as music, fashion, books, computer, and many others. Some of the more high profile companies who are affiliated with LinkShare are Target, Dell, and Disney.

ClickBank offer a large assortment of downloadable e-books and other products. ClickBank is a great place to look for niches that have not been fully explored or have been overlooked altogether.

Performics is a professional affiliate marketing site that has well over 200 clients including America Online, CompUSA, and L.L. Bean. You can find affiliate marketing programs for numerous leading companies with Perfomics.

Affiliate marketing programs are increasing in numbers daily. The sources listed above are only a few of the more well-known affiliate program opportunities that are available to you. You can make money each month by joining one of more of the affiliate programs that you feel would be most beneficial to you. Affiliate marketing is a highly profitable experience for a great number of successful online marketers.

Finding the affiliate marketing programs that are right for your situation will require some thought and research on your part. Before joining any affiliate marketing program make sure you know how much you’ll be paid per click or per sale and how often you will be paid. Research the long-term financial outlook of any company you consider becoming associated with. Making money through affiliate programs is one of the best ways you can increase your income and build your home-based business.

Greg Heslin is a best selling author on various legitimate work from home opportunities. To learn more about real work from home opportunities you can visit his web site at www.work-from-home-123.com.

With the number of small businesses opening in the U.S. growing more and more and the success of these businesses on the rise, more people are taking advantage of the benefits of running a business out of their homes. There is no doubt that this trend is growing after recent statistic identified fifty-two percent of small businesses in existence as being run from the owners’ homes. According to a recent poll, seventy-two percent of Americans were considering or would consider starting a business out of their homes. Some popular options for home businesses are real estate, auction selling, being a webmaster, network marketing, and being a travel agent.

The easiest and fastest growing at home businesses are those that are based online. The Internet allows individuals endless access to other people who are in need of their services. There are numerous online ventures that are easy to set up and run from home. Being an infopreneur is an online work-at-home job that is growing in popularity and is good for those individuals who do not know what business to open but have a desire to work from home. Infopreneurs are people who look online to find what others need. These individuals will then take their knowledge of a subject or research results and turn them into a theme-based website. Researching topics that a large number of people are interested in increases the likelihood of the website becoming popular. These individuals could also start on the new craze of blogs and have advertisers post ads on their sites in order to create more income. Another home business trend that is rising in popularity is selling items on eBay. Individuals who choose this option can set up a simple business structure easily and make money by selling extra items, possibly for other people. There are a number of tax deductions and loopholes that eBay businesses can use depending on the structure chosen. An eBay business is also fairly inexpensive to set up if it is done properly. However, it is important to keep extremely organized records and books in order to ensure success.

Another popular field for at-home workers is selling E-goods. How-to books, software, e-photos, e-music, and any other digital goods found online all constitute as E-goods. Individuals interested in this field need to find their specialty and take advantage of it. Once people find a specific E-good to create, they can launch a website to sell their goods. Other options could include creating an online magazine or being a personal online shopper.

Some home business owners have gone on to set up transcription companies to do medical and legal transcription work, as well as find transcription work for other individuals. The same can be done for data entry and translation services. People can also do freelance writing and designing and create a freelance firm where they can work and hire employees to outsource work. Individuals can also create telecommuting services and be the go-between for temps and businesses to find quality workers.

Although the opportunities are virtually endless, it is important for individuals to watch out for get rich quick schemes. People who ask for money or require a membership that is not free are usually scam artists. Of course there are exceptions to these rules, but make sure the site or organization is accredited by the Better Business Bureau or some other well-known sponsor to ensure security. Although work at-home jobs are most prevalent and easy to start online, there are endless opportunities for individuals to start businesses from their homes. All it takes is a good idea teamed with good research and motivation for individuals to start small businesses from their homes, and they will be making money in no time.

Temp agencies have taken on the role as mediators between businesses and potential employees, striving to provide quality workers to help businesses in their times of need. Due to the unique relationship between these two structures, it is often difficult to determine which structure is in charge and whose rules to follow. In response to this problem, many temp agencies have started to sponsor both temps and businesses, taking the guesswork out of the equation. These super agencies then have the ability to hire more people at a faster rate, while providing helpful networking to their clients.

The American Staffing Association (ASA), which was founded in 1966 to promote the legal and ethical practices of all companies in the staffing industry, spells out all of the rules and regulations pertaining to temp agency companies. The ASA has over 15,000 members who account for more than eighty-five percent of the staffing industry sales in the U.S. The ASA website also allows potential temps to search through companies, helping them find employment through an accredited agency. Another accredited organization that sponsors various staffing companies is the Independent Staffing Alliance (ISA). Founded in 1962, the ISA is the oldest independently owned staffing firm in the U.S. The website allows visitors to search through members and includes detailed services that are provided.

There are some clear front-runners who are known to provide quality employees to businesses around the country. SKILLED Group is one of the largest providers of staffing to businesses today. The Group is the industry leader in providing specialty workers to businesses in need of part-time workers for special projects or high-traffic times. SKILLED provides workers in a variety of fields, including manufacturing, government and defense, pharmaceuticals, and logistics. The agency works on a global level, allowing networking with companies all over the world and providing a solid clientele.

Kelly Services is another company that provides temporary staffing to businesses in need. Founded in 1946, Kelly places over 750,000 employees in positions each year. There are offices in thirty-three countries used to find work nearly anywhere in the world. Kelly Services specializes in finding work in accounting, engineering, law, science, education, health care, and other fields. This Fortune 500 Company was ranked number 407 on Forbes list and has received high recognition from some of the biggest companies around, including Intel, Johnson & Johnson, and the American Red Cross.

Manpower is also a popular provider in the part-time staffing industry. The agency works in over seventy countries to lend their sixty years experience to businesses in need of workers. Manpower has nearly 400,000 clients from all over the world who use its services each year. The agency has the unique opportunity to hire workers abroad rather than limiting them to one particular area and claims to place 312 people in jobs every minute.

There are also smaller companies that provide high-quality workers on a lesser scale. Advantage Recruitment is a well-known provider of employment in the industrial sector, manufacturing, trade, construction, and many other fields. Advantage looks for both part-time and full-time work for their clients and offers many services to fit their clients’ needs.

Complete Staff Solutions is another company that provides workers to businesses on a smaller scale. The agency sponsors both employers looking for workers and employees, resulting in easy transactions and clearly defined rules.

Nowadays temp agency companies are working hard to provide quality employees to businesses all over the world. With great efforts from organizations like ASA and ISA, temps and temp agencies are given more protection and better rights, thus providing better services. Whether it is a large corporation or a small start-up, temp agencies are becoming more efficient business structures that provide work to thousands of previously unemployed people in the U.S.