Meet the Workers Behind the Unemployment Numbers

June 5, 2009, 8:20 a.m. EDT

As daunting as the unemployment statistics are -- 345,000 Americans lost their jobs last month -- they don't do justice to the reality of the struggle that comes after the pink slip.

As part of our ongoing series about unemployment with public radio's Marketplace, reporter Mitchell Hartman went to Oregon and South Carolina, two of the states hardest hit by the recession, to find unemployed workers willing to share their stories.

Two audio slideshows outline the states' unemployment woes. Then, workers he met there talk about losing work and trying to hang on.

Have you or anyone you know had experiences like software marketer Diedre Murphy or welder Michael Dymond? Please share your unemployment experience with us.

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