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Nearly a quarter of US laid-off workers are relying mostly on unemployment benefits or financial aid, and almost as many are cutting back spending to get by, according to research released Wednesday.
Asked to list their primary means of making ends meet, a sixth said they are using savings and a fifth said they are relying on a spouse or partner to support the household, according to a survey of unemployed workers by CareerBuilder.com, an online jobs site.
The most common answer was unemployment benefits, at 23 percent, and cutting back spending to just necessities, at 20 percent, it said.
Six percent said they sold some belongings, 5 percent are taking odd jobs, 4 percent are living on credit and 3 percent moved home or added a roommate.
Roughly 14.5 million people were unemployed in the United States as of May, according to government statistics. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, that figure has risen by 7 million people, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The US unemployment rate climbed in May to a 26-year high of 9.4 percent.
Asked how they are using their time, 22 percent said they are spending time with family and friends, 15 percent are fixing up their homes and 14 percent are exercising more, the survey said.
Laid-off workers also listed relaxing, volunteering, returning to school and becoming more involved with their church community, it said.
The online survey was conducted among more than 1,800 laid-off US workers from June 10 to June 15. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
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(Agencies) |
據本周三公布的一項研究結果顯示，美國近四分之一的失業者主要靠失業救濟或財政援助生活，另有約有四分之一失業者正在削減家庭開支渡過難關。
在線求職網站CareerBuilder.com在對失業者進行了一項調查，要求他們詳細列出維持家庭收支平衡的基本途徑，其中六分之一受訪者稱在動用積蓄，有五分之一稱依賴配偶或伴侶養家糊口。
調查顯示，最常見的回答就是領失業救濟，占23%，有20%的人削減開支，只購買生活必需品。
有6%受訪者賣掉部分家產，5%打零工，4%借債，3%搬家或增加一位室友。
據美國政府公布數據顯示，截至5月份美國失業人數約為1450萬人。據美國勞工部統計數據，自2007年12月開始經濟衰退以來，美國失業人口已增加了700萬人。
美國失業率在5月攀升至26年來最高的9.4%。
在問到他們如何打發時間時，22%的受訪者稱陪伴家人和朋友，15%者裝修房屋，14%者增加鍛煉時間。
失業者的活動還包括休閑、做義工、回學校讀書，以及參與教會活動等。
這項網絡調查在6月10日至15日進行，有1800多名失業者參與。調查結果的誤差為正負3.2個百分點之間。
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（英語點津Meggie編輯）
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