NEW YORK (AP) — The job market in the U.S. remains strong overall, but recent high-profile layoffs at technology and media companies and predictions of a recession later this year may have you thinking about job security.

If you’re worried you could be laid off — or if you’ve lost your job — here are recommendations from experts:

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED YOU MAY BE LAID OFF

START SAVING

It’s crucial to start building an emergency fund even when you feel secure at your job but especially if you think you might lose it.

You might not be able to save enough to cover the whole time you’ll be out of work, but even a small amount can reduce your stress.

When you start thinking about saving, Jesse Mecham, founder of the money management app YNAB, recommends that you ask yourself this question: What do I want my money to do?

Maybe a year ago, you wanted to save for a large trip abroad, while now you want to have money in case you are out of work for six months.

People “would have a very different answer now than they might have had a year ago when they thought that their job was extremely secure,” Mecham said.

If you are aggressively paying off debt and it’s affecting your ability to save, Mecham recommends slowing down payments. You should still make at least the minimum payment, but you might want to consider temporarily using any money you’re been paying over that to build an extra cash cushion so you have money available should you need it. It’s also crucial to avoid getting into further debt, Mecham said.

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UPDATE YOUR RESUME

It’s always a good idea to keep your resume up to date but, most importantly, keep it customizable for several jobs, said Scott Dobrosky, career trends expert for Indeed. You can do this by leaving space in your resume to include keywords that are specific to the job you are applying for.

Jobs might require slightly different skills if you are planning to stay in the same industry or completely different skills if you move to another field. If you keep your resume updated and customizable, it could make things easier when you need to move on.

Anna Gallo, 33, a tech worker from Middletown, Connecticut, who was recently laid off, found updating her resume was more emotional than she expected.

“Updating my resume after not looking at it since I got my job was surprisingly sad. I had to take time and respect that sadness and wait until I was feeling better so I could do it,” Gallo said.

Gallo now recommends keeping your resume updated even if you don’t expect to be looking for work soon.

ACTIVATE YOUR NETWORK

Tapping into connections in your industry now is a good idea, said career coach Marlo Lyons. Talking with your friends about possible job openings elsewhere could give you a head start.

UPSKILL

Gaining new skills and adding certifications or courses to your resume can be a good way to move up in your current job. If you think you might have to go somewhere else, look for the skills that will make you a stronger candidate, Lyons said. Whether it’s taking a free online course or signing up to get a specific license, upskilling your resume will have positive impacts whether you stay in your current job or have to look for another one.

Popular course websites include Coursera and edX, which offer courses and certifications from universities around the country. They offer some of the courses for free.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN LAID OFF

PRIORITIZE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Your mental health can be heavily affected after a job loss. Take a breath and let yourself feel the emotions. Prioritizing your mental health will allow you to approach your job search in a better way, Dobrosky said.

For Gallo, putting her mental health first meant that she gave herself a couple of days to feel sad.

“I think everybody needs that time after losing a job. I’m feeling better, even though I’m still extremely disappointed that this is how things turned out,” Gallo said.

MAINTAIN A ROUTINE

Keeping some structure in your day will help you with your mental health and with the right cadence of applying to jobs, Mecham said.

Planning your days so they include eating at your usual time, working out or going for a walk and applying for jobs for a certain amount of hours will keep you grounded, he said. Lyons recommends designating a time during the day to start and end applying for jobs.

“Do not over-exhaust yourself with applying to jobs,” Lyons said. “Take time to do activities that make you feel good.”

For Gallo, this has meant getting up, making breakfast, taking a long shower and using her fancy soap, and after her usual work hours, going for walks and still hanging out with her friends.

“I’m trying to not let the fact that I’m not working from nine to five, change what I’m doing with the rest of my day too much,” she said.

CHECK YOUR BENEFITS

It’s crucial that you understand your compensation package and save any documentation that you need to understand your benefits after you’ve been laid off. Some especially important things to know are your health insurance and dental benefits, Dobrosky said.

NETWORK

Reaching out to your professional and personal network can be helpful, and it’s useful to give some direction to friends and colleagues who want to help, Lyons said.

Examples include asking them to write you recommendations on LinkedIn, recommend you for a job or invite you to a conference for free.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

It can be hard to talk about losing your job, and you should only share if you feel comfortable. But sharing can benefit you by allowing you to lean on your support system.

When Gallo shared on social media that she had lost her job, she did it mostly so everyone she knew would find out at the same time. She didn’t expect hundreds of people, some who she knew and some who she didn’t, to reach out offering to help.

“I felt like I was taking the power away from the secret that I had lost my job,” she said. “I found it helpful to do a mass disclosure and also ask for help at that moment.”

Gallo said she felt less isolated since she received encouraging messages and spoke with people with similar experiences.

APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT

Applying for unemployment is an option that everyone should utilize, Lyons said. While the amount you get for unemployment might not be as much as your salary, it can help you to stay afloat for some time.

“You’ve been paying into it your entire life, get some of that money back,” Lyons said. “Don’t be shy about it.”

You can learn more about how to apply for unemployment here.

CONSIDER A TEMPORARY JOB

A temporary job is a good option if you can’t afford to be out of work, Dobrosky said. Lyons also recommends temporary jobs and says you should include them in your resume if they showcase skills that match your desired full-time job, such as leadership or organizational skills.

“It shows that you have grit, that you’re willing to work hard and take care of your responsibilities,” she said.

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You can see all of AP’s financial wellness coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/financial-wellness

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials are alerting consumers about two more recalls of eyedrops due to contamination risks that could lead to vision problems and serious injury.

The announcements follow a recall last month of eyedrops made in India that were linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant infections. One person died and at least five others had permanent vision loss.

There’s no indication the latest recalls are related to those products.

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The Food and Drug Administration posted separate recall notices for certain eyedrops distributed by Pharmedica and Apotex after the companies said they are voluntarily pulling several lots of their products from the market.

Pharmedica on Friday said it is recalling two lots of Purely Soothing 15% MSM Drops due to problems “that could result in blindness.” The over-the-counter drops are designed to treat eye irritation. The Phoenix-based company said consumers should immediately stop using the drops and return them to the place they were purchased.

The recall affects nearly 2,900 bottles, according to the company. The drops were manufactured in Arizona.

Last week, the FDA posted a separate recall announcement from Apotex recalling six lots of prescription eyedrops used to treat a form of glaucoma. The company said it launched the recall after finding cracks in some bottle caps.

The drops are distributed as Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution. 0.15% and were sold between last April through February.

Both companies said the recalls were conducted in consultation with the FDA.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve could increase the size of its interest rate hikes and raise borrowing costs to higher levels than previously projected if evidence continues to point to a robust economy and persistently high inflation, Chair Jerome Powell told a Senate panel Tuesday.

“The latest economic data have come in stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated,” Powell testified to the Senate Banking Committee. “If the totality of the data were to indicate that faster tightening is warranted, we would be prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes.”

Powell’s comments raise the possibility that the Fed will increase its key interest rate by a half-percentage point at its next meeting March 21-22, after having carried out a quarter-point hike in early February. The Fed previously raised its benchmark rate by a half-point in December and imposed four three-quarter-point hikes before that. Over the past year, the central bank has raised its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, eight times.

Most economists and Wall Street investors had expected the Fed to carry out another quarter-point increase at upcoming meetings. But traders and some analysts now see it as more likely that the Fed will implement a half-point hike later this month.

During the hearing, Democratic senators stressed their belief that today’s high inflation is due mainly to the combination of continued supply chain disruptions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and higher corporate profit margins. Several argued that further rate hikes would throw millions of Americans out of work.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, noted that Fed officials have projected that the unemployment rate will reach 4.6% by the end of this year, from 3.4% now. Historically, when the jobless rate has risen by at least 1 percentage point, a recession has followed.

“If you could speak directly to the 2 million people hardworking people who have decent jobs today who you’re planning to get fired over the next year, what would you say to them?” Warren asked.

“We actually don’t think that we need to see a sharp or enormous increase in unemployment to get inflation under control,” Powell responded.

By contrast, the committee’s Republicans mainly blamed President Joe Biden’s policies for high inflation and argued that if government spending were cut, inflation would slow.

“The more we help on the fiscal side, the fewer people you’re going to have to put out of work,” Sen. John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, said.

In his remarks Tuesday, Powell walked back some of the optimistic comments about declining inflation he had made after the Fed’s Feb. 1 meeting, when he noted that “the disinflationary process has started” and he referred to “disinflation” — a broad and steady slowdown in inflation — multiple times. At that time, year-over-year consumer price growth had slowed for six straight months.

But after that meeting, the latest reading of the Fed’s preferred inflation measure showed that consumer prices rose from December to January by the most in seven months. And reports on hiring, consumer spending and the broader economy have also indicated that growth remains healthy.

Such economic figures, Powell said Tuesday, “have partly reversed the softening trends that we had seen in the data just a month ago.”

The Fed chair acknowledged that inflation “has been moderating in recent months” but added that “the process of getting inflation back down to 2 percent has a long way to go and is likely to be bumpy.”

Several Fed officials said last week that they would favor raising the Fed’s key rate above the 5.1% level they had projected in December if growth and inflation stay elevated. When the Fed raises its key rate, it typically makes mortgages, auto loans, credit card rates and business lending more expensive. It’s a trend that can slow spending and inflation but also risks sending the economy into a recession.

Inflation, as measured year over year, has slowed from its peak in June of 9.1% to 6.4%. But its progress stalled in January: The Fed’s preferred measure of price increases rose from December to January by the most in seven months.

Powell has noted that so far, most of the slowdown in inflation reflects an unraveling of supply chains that have allowed more furniture, clothes, semiconductors and other physical goods to reach U.S. shores. By contrast, inflation pressures remain entrenched in numerous areas of the economy’s vast service sector.

Rental and housing costs, for example, remain a significant driver of inflation. At the same time, the cost of a new apartment lease is growing much more slowly, a trend that should reduce housing inflation by mid-year, Powell has said.

But the prices of many services — from dining out to hotel rooms to haircuts — are still rising rapidly, with little sign that the Fed’s rate hikes are having an effect. Fed officials say the costs of those services mainly reflect rising wages and salaries, which companies often pass on to their customers in the form of higher prices.

As a result, the Fed’s monetary policy report to Congress, which it publishes in conjunction with the chair’s testimony, said that quelling inflation will likely require “softer labor market conditions” — a euphemism for fewer job openings and more layoffs.

Cosori is recalling more than 2 million air fryers sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico because their wire connections can overheat and cause a fire risk.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall Thursday. The agency said consumers should stop using the air fryers immediately.

The recall involves multiple model numbers in 3.7-quart and 5.8-quart sizes. All of the units have the Cosori brand name on the front.

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CPSC said there have been “205 reports of the air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating and smoking. These include 10 reports of minor, superficial burn injuries and 23 reports of minor property damage.”

The air fryers were sold between June 2018 and December 2022 in Best Buy, Target and Home Depot stores and online at Amazon, Walmart and other retailers. They cost between $70 and $130.

Consumers should contact Cosori at recall.cosori.com to receive a free replacement air fryer or another product. Consumers must provide their contact information and a photo of their recalled unit. Receipts aren’t needed.

The Cosori brand is owned by Vesync, a company based in Shenzen, China. Vesync has received 205 reports of air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating or smoking. There have been 10 reports of minor burns and 23 reports of minor property damage, the agency said.

Some 1.2 million candles, contained glass jars, have been recalled because the jar can break, causing a potential fire and laceration hazard.

The Mainstays Three-Wick Candles were sold exclusively at Walmart.

Here is a full release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. You can see images of the candles in the photo above.