What does it mean to work hard, really? The answer is different for everyone, but you might be curious to learn which states work the most hours per week or spend the least amount of leisure time per day. Using a variety of direct and indirect metrics such as these, the folks at WalletHub published a comprehensive ranking of the fifty U.S. states according to “how hard” their populations work. Here are the top 10 states and their respective total scores based on Wallethub’s methodology: Alaska: 69 North Dakota: 66 Wyoming: 62 South Dakota: 61 Nebr... view article details

The gap between the rich and the poor has been widening for the past 30 years.  The World Inequality Report uncovered that since 1980, the top 0.1 percent of wealth owners, about 7 million people, accounted for as much of the world's growth as the bottom half of the adult population — roughly 3.8 billion people. Below is a list of the top 10 richest people in the world, including their net worth for the year 2018, as well as the previous year, according to Forbes. This list makes it glaringly obvious that the gap between the rich and poor is at its highest level in decades with no signs of nar... view article details

Ever since she was a little girl, Jeanne Sarmiento wanted to be a lawyer. As she grew older, however, her life took some unexpected turns.After what she calls 'a series of poor choices' as a young adult, this mother changed her life and became inspired by her children to go to school. Even as a single parent of an infant, Sarmiento was determined to get her degree, and she added credits slowly but surely over the years. Eventually, she graduated with an associate's degree. She is now going back to school for an additional degree and cannot wait to hear her kids yell, 'You did it Mom! You did i... view article details

Survey Results: How Has Our Readership Been Affected by Recent Layoffs? With the unemployment rate continuing to rise dramatically in recent months (now up to double digits in some states) Salary.com asked its users how they have been affected by the recent changes in the job market. We had over 4,000 respondents of which a larger than expected number answered they had been laid off in the last 6 months. Read on to see some of the trends.The national unemployment rate for January was 8.1% This means that nationwide 8.1% of employable individuals have reported that they are out of wo... view article details

You've Graduated! (So Now What?) Congratulations. After four years of classes, midterms, finals, projects, reports, stress, growth, and everything else higher learning brings with it, the time is here. You’ve graduated.So now what?All of you have degrees in hand, and the lucky among you have already secured your first jobs. But while the degree may have helped you get the job, success within the position is totally up to you from here on out. This is no longer a classroom, it’s a real-live business that is now depending on you to thrive and help it do the same. And if you don’t, there... view article details

Is Higher Education Worth Higher Prices? Many students over the last couple of decades have been raised by parents who viewed college not as an option, but an inevitability – no matter the cost. But as the price of higher education goes through the roof and combines with rampant unemployment for recent college graduates, some people are beginning to wonder if the massive student loans are worth it.So, we asked people directly.More than 1,500 of you took our survey and told us your opinions regarding whether college is necessary for career success, if it is still worth the money, and o... view article details

Workers Are Negotiating Less Often We love all things salary negotiation. It’s our business, our passion, and the reason our company exists. But it’s not enough for us to love it, we need you to love it as well.Unfortunately, many of you aren’t convinced of the importance of negotiating your salary.For the last few years we’ve conducted a survey to determine how often people negotiate, when they negotiate, and why they’re afraid of negotiating. It culminates in our annual Salary Negotiation Week, in which you can pick up some great tips on salary negotiation tactics. This year, we sur... view article details

Has America's Relationship with Work Shifted? America is a country that has long prided itself on sweat, determination and hard work. We love stories about people putting in the hours, working harder than everyone else, and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps to enjoy financial success. Historically that’s been true, but is it still the case?This country has changed dramatically over the years, but we wanted to find out if Americans still value work the way they used to. So we sent out our “Working Study” survey, and nearly 3,000 of you answered. Do we live to work as our grandp... view article details