President George W. Bush signed into law Friday a bill that Congress approved to keep unemployment checks flowing to jobless Americans through the holiday season.

The Senate approved the bill following an earlier report Thursday saying that new claims by laid-off workers for jobless aid had reached a 16-year high and the number of people looking for work had surged past 10 million.

On Long Island, thousands are looking for work. Many were recently laid off and are finding it difficult to get back to work. Unemployed bank manager Mike Ippolito says he used to be one of a few candidates being considered for a job, but now he?s one of dozens.

The New York State Labor Department says that unemployment on Long Island is going up fast because of the economic slowdown on Wall Street and in the banking industry.

Illene Glasser, from employment agency Island Search Group Inc., says it?s important for jobseekers to stay busy, be flexible with salary demands and try new things. She recommends temping in order to network, maintain skills and become familiar with new industries. Doing freelance work is also helpful, she says.

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