The U.S. economy has been hitting some bumps, and jobs still seem scarce. Workers in many industries are nervous that they may be out of work soon, thanks to cheaper labor overseas. But some economists argue that offshoring is part of free trade, and the money saved will be reinvested in new job-creating businesses at home. Here's a look at what's new in the jobs debate from around the Web. (Some links may require registration or subscriptions.)

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KATRINA'S TOLL: Economists say Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast last week, has separated at least three-quarters of a million workers from their jobs. Hard-hit Florida farmers asked for aid. In New Orleans, the storm blew away the city's 80,000 tourism jobs. Many of Mississippi's 14,000 casino employees are at least temporarily out of work.

Many other evacuees are left searching for ways to earn a paycheck. "In New Orleans you have a fairly significant population of relatively unskilled workers," Global Insight economist Phil Hopkins notes. "It's going to be very difficult for those workers to go to Baton Rouge or Houston and find employment."

The Associated Press reports that many have launched their search with limited skills and no transportation. Tina Davis, of New Orleans, took one look at video of the disaster, and came to two quick conclusions: Her house was almost certainly destroyed, and it was time to get to work building a new life someplace else. "If we can find work in Jackson, we're staying. What's there to go back to?" she asked.

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BENEFIT BALANCE: A little over a week after the storm, companies pummeled by the hurricane are trying to balance business needs with relief programs. Several large corporations are continuing to pay staff even though they can't report to work, while others are relocating employees to offices outside the disaster area.

Coca-Cola's 700 employees who worked at its New Orleans distribution center are receiving paychecks, and Exxon Mobil is paying all of its area workers indefinitely. DHL, Pfizer and Starbucks all said they were continuing to pay employees who were unable to work because stores and offices were flooded or destroyed.

Meanwhile, Wal-Mart stopped paying workers in the area a few days after shutting its stores, and McDonald's and UPS have not paid regular wages to idled employees since the storm hit. (Wal-Mart has donated $17 million to relief agencies and is offering displaced employees as much as $1,000 in emergency relief. The company has promised to place displaced workers at stores in other cities and already has 400 evacuees working.)

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STRANDED: The hurricane created a host of new problems for immigrant workers along the coast. The Mexican government estimates 145,000 of its citizens live along the Gulf Coast, many of them there looking for contract work. Noncitizens with work visas are anxious that that they will jeopardize their legal status if they try to leave. Bran Dize, a prep cook from Jamaica, tells the New York Times his guest worker visa requires him to work at a casino -- the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss., -- that, for all practical purposes, no longer exists.

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HELP WANTED: Across the South, companies are responding with thousands of job offers communicated through relief agencies, state job networks, the Internet, and scraps of paper taped to windows at refugee centers. The Wall Street Journal points out that the mass hunt for jobs is complicated by the evacuees' circumstances -- many have no documentation to prove their identities, no address or telephone where they can be reached, and no cars to get to jobs. Even if they get jobs, some lack ID to cash paychecks.

Craigslist has set up a special section on some of its sites -- Austin, Baton Rouge, Houston, Jackson, Miss., Montgomery, New Orleans, Pensacola, Fla., and Shreveport, La. -- with temporary job postings. For evacuees willing to relocate permanently, some employers are offering the upper hand. Mama's Manna Bakery in Little Rock, Ark., advertised for an experienced wedding-cake designer, noting, "Preference shown to persons displaced by Katrina."

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JUST LIKE ON TV: More Brazilians are risking life and limb to immigrate to the U.S. this year, and customs officials think they might know why. A Brazilian soap opera called "America" portrays illegal immigrants as they steal into the U.S., seeking the promise of jobs and romance. The telenovela, which debuted in March, has proved immensely popular, especially among Brazil's poor. Reuters reports the number of undocumented Brazilians caught on U.S. soil is set to rise over fourfold this year from 2004 -- a much bigger increase than for illegal immigrants from other Latin American countries. Read a more in-depth article from Boston's Metro West Daily News.

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DOUBLE DUTY: The Chicago Tribune reports that nearly 7.6 million Americans straddle two or more jobs. A U.S. Labor Department survey found that most workplace moonlighters do it because they want or need extra money, while less than a third take on the added burden because they enjoy it, or want to try another job. Muyiwa Jaiyeola puts in a 40-hour week as a salesman at a Sears, Roebuck and Co. store on the city's North Side, and then works another 20 hours in the stockroom of a Gap store downtown. Mr. Jaiyeola offers these tips for surviving two jobs: "Never watch the clock. Don't ever miss any buses. Lost travel time means lost sleep. And keep reminding yourself that you will catch up on sleep on weekends, and that you have to keep going to earn money to pay the bills."

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DIRTY JOBS: For the Discovery Channel's Mike Rowe, getting down and dirty comes with the territory. As host of Discovery's "Dirty Jobs" show, Mr. Rowe has interned as a sewer inspector, a roadkill cleaner, and a pig wrangler. The series "profiles the unsung American laborers who make their living in the most unthinkable -- yet vital -- ways." Here's, a want ad for a catfish noodler -- just one of Mr. Rowe's ventures: "In search of people who can catch potentially 100-pound catfish with their hands only. Must not mind sticking limbs in holes in search of game and getting bitten as a result." Watch a promo for the show, which airs Tuesday nights at 9.

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LOVE YOUR WORK?: In honor of the Labor Day holiday, the Cincinnati Enquirer asked the question, "Why do we work?" The paper interviewed nine people and discovered that more than one said they work because they enjoy it. John Lane, a former Air Force officer, has worked a multitude of jobs, but he finds his current one as a history teacher the most rewarding. "It's the idea of opening students' minds and seeing them get interested," he says. Firefighter Mike Davis says his natural tendency is "to help people," while entertainer Lauren Good loves to perform, even though part of her job at the Shadow Box Cabaret involves selling tickets, serving drinks and cleaning toilets. "When I'm scrubbin' a bowl, I have to remember I just sang for 200 people," she says.

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BUSCA TRABAJO: Unskilled immigrants who have in the past relied on word of mouth to find work now have a new avenue. LatinoHire.com, which launched in mid-August, is up and running in New York City. Employers seeking nonprofessional help can posts ads, which are automatically translated into Spanish. Emerging Demographics, the company behind the site, prints a weekly list of available positions and distributes them throughout the city's Hispanic communities. Latino Hire has plans to roll out listings in Los Angeles, and hopes to eventually add categories like real estate, furniture, cars and other items, mimicking popular classifieds site Craigslist.

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BETTER IN BED: Is your husband or boyfriend always at the office? Don't despair. It could be good for your relationship -- at least the portion of it that takes place behind closed doors. Researchers from Louisiana Tech University found workaholic men scored highest in their wives and girlfriends' sexual satisfaction ratings. Psychology researchers Jonathan Schwartz and Imelda Bush had a theory for their surprising findings. "Men who spend too much time at work and feel bad about it may make more of an effort and try harder to satisfy their partner sexually, making up for lost time in the home," Ms. Bush told the U.K.'s Sunday Times.