Michel Cournoyer

Long-Term Unemployment in US – CBO on its causes, effects, and policy options

Minimum Wage and Poverty in US – The income boost would be less than $1.00 for each $1.00 increase in gross earnings writes Congressional Research Service

Pending before Congress is legislation (S. 1737 and H.R. 1010) that would raise the federal minimum wage from its current $7.25 per hour to, ultimately, $10.10 per hour. The minimum wage would be adjusted for inflation thereafter. Whether the minimum wage or alternative policies, namely government-funded earnings supplements such as the Earned Income Tax Credit … Continue reading →

Solar in US – More than 20,000 jobs created in 2013

More than 78,600 clean energy jobs were created in the US throughout 2013, according to a survey by clean tech employment research body, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). Solar topped the count, with more than 21,600 jobs announced over the year.  The top states for clean energy employment over 2013 were: California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Illinois, Nevada, … Continue reading →

Chrysler – To hire 1,000 at Jeep plant

After running its employees flat-out building Jeeps in Toledo, Chrysler Group is about to give them a break. It plans to hire up to 1,000 part-time employees at its Toledo Assembly complex to take some of the burden off full-time employees and give them some time off, The Blade in Toledo reports. Most will get … Continue reading →

US – Jobs, Economy, Gov’t are top priorities finds Gallup

Three issues — unemployment, the economy in general, and dissatisfaction with government — dominate when Americans name the most important problem facing the nation. Nineteen percent mention unemployment or jobs, 18% say dissatisfaction with government, and 17% the economy in general. Unemployment edged out the other two issues in February, but dropped slightly in March. … Continue reading →

Australia – Unemployment rate holds steady and almost 50,000 new jobs

AUSTRALIA’S jobs market roared back to life in February, generating almost 50,000 new jobs, more than enough to offset announced high-profile losses at Qantas, Alcoa, Holden and Toyota.  An increase in the number of people looking for work helped keep the national unemployment rate unchanged at 6 per cent for the second month in a … Continue reading →

The Ageing Workforce in Europe – A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit

Historically low birth rates and increasing life expectancy mean that Europe’s working population is ageing fast. In 2012, the continent reached an inevitable demographic tipping point. The percentage of the population at working age fell for the first time in 40 years. It is now forecast to fall every year until 2060. This inescapable trend … Continue reading →

Minimum wage in US – Over 500 economists sign a petition to the President against an increase

The “recovery” from the Great Recession has been anemic. Business growth, job creation, and consumer spending remain tenuous. Since the official trough in June 2009, median income has fallen, real wages have barely risen, unemployment remains elevated, and because so many Americans have left the workforce entirely, the fraction of the population working is below … Continue reading →

The Skills Gap in Cambodia – Over half of the firms feel that vocational education and training programs do not yet meet the needs

The shortages of skilled labor and quality human resources are among the greatest challenges facing the Cambodian economy, a new survey revealed Wednesday. The survey was done based on the interviews of 355 enterprises nationwide by the International Labor Organization and the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations ( CAMFEBA).   “In terms of … Continue reading →

UniCredit – To cut cut 8,500 jobs by 2018

Leading Italian bank UniCredit has posted a massive loss of 14 billion euros for 2013. Much of that was as it wrote off bad loans that it knows will never be repaid, along with so-called goodwill – the paper value of assets – in Italy, Austria and central and eastern Europe.  The writedowns are to … Continue reading →

Walmart Employees – Would be better if they could go to another company and another job and make more money and develop says Bill Simon, CEO

“Some people took those jobs because they were the only ones available and haven’t been able to figure out how to move out of that,” Bill Simon, CEO of Wal-Mart U.S., acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press. If Wal-Mart employees “can go to another company and another job and make more money and … Continue reading →

Jobs in US Tech-Sector – About 3.9 million workers, roughly 3% of the nation’s payroll workforce

To get a sense of the Web’s impact on employment, we analyzed data from the Occupational Employment Statistics program, a joint federal-state effort to catalog the structure and compensation of the nation’s workforce. The program sorts wage and salary workers into some 800 different occupations, from CEOs to short-order cooks. Twice a year, the program … Continue reading →

UK – Young People in the Labour Market: 69% of young people not in full-time education were employed at the end of 2013

Main findings • The number of people aged 16 to 24 in full-time education has more than doubled over the last 30 years • 69% of young people not in full-time education were employed at the end of 2013 • The proportion of young people undertaking work alongside full-time study has been falling since the … Continue reading →

The Missing Workers in US – 5.8 Million with vast majority under 55

Since the start of the Great Recession over six years ago, labor force participation has dropped significantly. Most of the drop—roughly three-quarters—was due to the lack of job opportunities in the Great Recession and its aftermath.   There are now 5.8 million workers who are not in the labor force but who would be if job opportunities were … Continue reading →

Jobs – 6 ways to use the data from the BLS

Here are six other ways you can use the Bureau of Labor Statistics to help you on the road to talent acquisition: 1. Shift your focus to a high-growth industry. 2. Gain insight into regional salary expectations. 3. Persuade a candidate that a career move will up their earnings. 4. Figure out how picky you can afford … Continue reading →