The first Labor Day, (31) in New York City in 1882, was less a celebration of the dignity of work than a demonstration in favor (32) the eight-hour day, down from the prevailing 10 to 12 hours. Compared (33) then, American workers have come a long way. Congress (34) Labor Day a national holiday in 1894, and over the years it evolved into a day off rather than a moment to reflect (35) the state of labor. It’s the bleakest Labor Day since (36) the early 1980s. With the unemployment rate at 9.7 percent in August and expected to go higher, cheery news is (37) . Job anxiety has also increased sharply, according to opinion survey (38) by the conservative American Enterprise Institute. A Gallup poll in August found that 31 percent of workers worried about being (39) , up from 15 percent a year (40) ; 32 percent thought their wages might be (41) , up from 16 percent; and 46 percent (42) fringe benefits might be reduced, up from 27 percent. What’s most ominous (43) today’s job market; it’s the outlook. After the 1981-1982 (44) unemployment dropped steadily from an (45) average of 9.7 percent in 1982 to 7.5 percent in 1984 and 5.5 percent in 1988. The descent this time is expected to be (46) slower. In 2014, the unemployment rate will still average 7.6 percent, (47) HIS Global Insight, which predicts a peak of 10 percent early next year. Reducing unemployment requires an economic (48) fast enough to absorb today’s jobless plus the natural growth of the labor force. The implication of prolonged high unemployment haven’t been fully (49) . People without work don’t (50) on-the-job skills. Young college graduates are already having trouble getting work. High unemployment could foster protectionism and long-term poverty at last.