Unemployed operations manager Mary Kay Coyne gestures while speaking about her long term unemployment at her residence in Sewell, New Jersey, July 7, 2011. Coyne is one of millions of Americans whose unemployment benefits have expired - after 99 weeks in many states - as the United States suffers its highest level of long-term unemployment since 1948. Unlike in much of Europe, the safety net of the U.S. welfare system times out for the long-term unemployed. The federal government and many states have provided extra help for those caught up in the worst labor market in decades but the U.S. debt crisis rules out further extension of the programs.
To match Feature USA-ECONOMY/UNEMPLOYED REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS POLITICS)