The Conference Board Employment Trends Index for June is 88.4.. down nearly a point from May, but down nearly 22 percent from a year ago. Researchers say they expect job growth to resume around the end of the year.

The chief economist with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the end of the recession is "literally just around the corner"... September to be exact. But he says there is a 15 to 20 percent chance of another economic downturn by late 2010. Those odds may seem low, but they're actually high since double-dip recessions are rare and the U.S. economy grows 95 percent of the time.

Meanwhile, more than half of small business owners expect the recession to last at least another two years, according to a survey of Intuit Payroll customers. But 61 percent expect their own business to grow in the next 12 months.