1.   And through a financing system known as experience rating, employers who lay off workers more frequently pay somewhat more into the program.

2.   Experience rating stabilizes employment.

3.   Largely because of these limits, the experience rating is imperfect.

4.   The federal government sets minimum standards for state unemployment insurance programs and has a history of encouraging experience rating.

5.   To shore up the system, states could be required to improve experience rating and maintain adequate trust-fund balances.