Michel Cournoyer

What explains the gender wage gap – Nearly 60 percent is influenced by all the structural and social factors

Occupational differences One of the largest driving factors of the gender wage gap is the fact that men and women, on average, work in different industries and occupations; this accounts for up to 49.3 percent of the wage gap, according to some estimates. Women are much more likely than men to be clustered in just a … Continue reading →

Household Net Worth in US – A drop of 58 percent for Latinos, 48 percent for Asians, 45 percent for African Americans and 21 percent for whites

Despite overwhelming evidence that the racial wealth gap persists in the U.S., it remains a taboo topic in mainstream policy circles and most officials studiously avoid offering targeted solutions to help close this gap. However, this issue is ignored at our nation’s peril given the anticipated growth of racial and ethnic groups over the next … Continue reading →

Millennial in US – Some facts are true, others …

1. Millennials have been hit hard by the recession. Historically, 16- to 24-year-olds have always had higher unemployment than their older cohorts, but unemployment for younger millennials has skyrocketed since the financial crisis and is only slowly returning to normal 2. Millennials are less likely to be looking for work. Labor force participation has been … Continue reading →

US – Workers have slowed their transitions between employers St. Louis Fed finds

Jobs in the U.S. labor market get turned over at a surprising frequency, with flows into/out of unemployment being almost four times faster than in Germany, despite similar unemployment rates.1 But when U.S. workers leave jobs, they are twice as likely to go directly into another one as become unemployed.2 These job-to-job transitions make up … Continue reading →

US – One-Third of job seekers attempt relocation TheLadders finds

Home may be where the heart is, but it’s not always where the jobs are. With the U.S. climbing out of its economic rut, TheLadders decided to take a look at where people most often moved to work in a better economic climate. After analyzing where, and how often, job seekers in its 6-million-member database … Continue reading →

US – Supply factors are driving down participation rate (demographics and increased incentives to drop out), not weak labor market demand writes BofA

[Bank of America’s analysis] contradicts the notion that a declining labor‐force participation rate reflects a weak economy because of weak labor demand. Labor demand is very strong relative to labor supply. Supply bottlenecks and wage pressures are in the early stage of picking up. That’s why businesses’ main complaint is the difficulty of finding qualified … Continue reading →

US – Teens employment tumbles

Teen employment has plummeted in a trend that long predates the Great Recession, worrying economists across the political spectrum. In the current labor market, any black mark can doom a worker: lack of education, inexperience, even a presumed sense of not needing the work enough. Teens are at the bottom of the totem pole, with … Continue reading →

US – Jobs and Unemployment are the most important problems facing the country poll finds

Twenty percent of Americans name unemployment or jobs as the most important problem facing the country in May, up from 14% who mentioned these issues in April. Dysfunctional government (19%) and the economy in general (17%) also rank among the top problems. Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Jobs, Government, and Economy … Continue reading →

LinkedIn – A free beginner’s guide (Slideshare)

When people talk about social media, they usually mention Facebook and Twitter. But for professionals who are serious about using social media to advance their careers, there’s no better network than LinkedIn. In this presentation, The author provides some stats on why you shouldn’t ignore LinkedIn. The presentation also provides some important details when filling … Continue reading →

Unemployment in Gaza – A five-year high of 41%

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has reported that unemployment in the Strip has surged in the first quarter of 2014 to 41 percent, the highest rate since 2009. The number of unemployed persons stands at 180,000 people. A year ago, in the first quarter of 2013, the rate of unemployment was 30 percent – … Continue reading →

Student Debt in US – Earnings and debt aren’t moving in the same direction

In 2012, the most recent year for which data are available, workers with just a bachelor’s degree were making a median salary of $46,900 a year while the average student loan balance for people under 30 years old was $21,400. Those numbers aren’t directly comparable, but it does seem that most young people can pay … Continue reading →

US – Housing Starts vs Unemployment (Chart)

Housing stats lead unemployment figures anywhere from 6-18 months.  The logic being that housing triggers not just construction hiring, but effects nearly every other industry as a “house” virtually houses products from every other industry.  Ergo when housing recovers so too (generally) does employment in every other sector. Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the … Continue reading →

A brief history of Australia’s unemployment benefits

Jobs in US – An Uneven Recovery by State (Map)

The map below tracks per capita job growth in U.S. states from 2010 to 2013. New Jobs Per 10,000 Residents (2010-2013) The map conforms to the pattern of an economy recovering around the twin pillars of energy and knowledge. North Dakota, the center of the natural gas boom, leads the way by a huge margin … Continue reading →

Greece – The economy shrinks by 1.1 pct in Q1

The Greek economy shrank by 1.1 percent in the first quarter of the year on a 12-month basis, Greece’s statistics agency said on Thursday.  The data, unadjusted for seasonal factors showed that output by the bailed out economy “decreased by 1.1 percent in comparison with the first quarter of 2013,” the ELSTAT agency said. Based … Continue reading →