In January, Jon Bach got laid off as a director at eBay, where he had worked for 13 years. He loved his job, so he was disappointed. But he didn't panic. The unemployment rate was near a five ...

American employees continued to enjoy near-record-high job security, with the firing rate in April at just 1.1%. But the hiring rate , 3.5%, remained in a range that is the lowest in over a decade.