Have you ever been unemployed, or do you know anything about it?
Luckily I have not, it looks like the causes for it are very much debated.
I was for a period of 8 months after a job I worked for for 3 years cut my hours out of nowhere.
That is horrible, was it during the recession? The unemployment rate tends to be higher during those periods,
It was last year. It was tough but I actually ended up getting paid unemployment and found a great job now!
Nice, I'm glad you were able to receive that, the benefits are funded by a governmental insurance system in the United States.
I am thankful for that service. I actually found out that the company pays unemployment and not the government, so I didn't feel so bad. 
That's good, they really should since they let you go unexpectedly. There were more than 200 million people worldwide without a job in 2012!