Michel Cournoyer

Michel Cournoyer has written 10915 posts for Job Market Monitor

Ireland / Unemployment Rate falls to 13.4 percent

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in Ireland dropped again in August, falling for the 14th successive month, and inched the unemployment rate lower to 13.4 percent Continue reading

US / As Gallup’s unemployment rate jumps, jobless claims drop

Gallup tracks daily the percentage of U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, who are unemployed. “Unemployed” respondents are those who are not employed, even for one hour a week, but are available and looking for work. Unemployment is calculated as a percent of the workforce. Monthly results reflect an average of the calendar month, based … Continue reading

Europe’s Offshoring / 770,000 IT jobs lost in 15 years

Offshoring, technology advancements and low growth have contributed to a massive reduction in IT jobs in Europe, with almost half the number of IT roles in the largest companies expected to exist in 2017 compared to 2002. According to research from The Hackett Group, in 2002 there were 1.6 million corporate IT jobs in the … Continue reading

US / Budget cuts laying off scientists: Some 1,444 of 3,165 scientists reported layoffs are imminent

It took a few months, but forced federal budget cuts are costing hundreds of science and medical research jobs. Nearly half of the recipients who get federal science funding say they’ve recently laid off or will lay off scientists and researchers, because federal grants are tougher to win, according to a survey by the American … Continue reading

The Fight for Higher Wages

Let’s face it. Something’s broken here in an economy that serves up low wages to significant numbers of adults whose families depend on their earnings (the typical worker earning between the minimum wage and $10 an hour earns half of his or her family’s income; 88 percent are adults).  And something’s broken when the media and … Continue reading

Unions in US / Majority Approves but Say They’ll Weaken

A majority of Americans, 54%, approve of labor unions, a slight increase from 52% in 2012 and six percentage points above the all-time low observed in 2009. Thirty-nine percent disapprove of labor unions. The current reading is eight points below the historical average of 62% in Gallup’s trend dating back to 1936. Americans’ approval of … Continue reading

Euro area unemployment rate at 12.1% in July

The euro area1 (EA17) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 12.1% in July 2013, stable compared with June. The EU28 unemployment rate was 11.0%, also stable compared with June. In both zones, rates have risen compared with July 2012, when they were 11.5% and 10.5% respectively. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the … Continue reading

US / Few Jobs Means Bad Jobs

There is no dispute that bad jobs seem to be growing rapidly as a share of employment at present. The question is why. An alternative explanation to the “it just happens” view is that the weak economy itself is responsible for the proliferation of bad jobs. In other words, because the economy is not generating … Continue reading

Wages Growth in US since the Great Recession – Maps

workers’ wage growth has been uneven across the country’s metros. To chart where wages have grown the most during America’s recovery, my Martin Prosperity Institute colleague Charlotta Mellander ran the numbers on average change in wages and salaries for all 350-plus U.S. metros between 2009 and 2012 (the latest year available) based on data from the … Continue reading

Burnout on the Job

“I am done!” Background: A few years out of college, into their second job, dislikes job and abusive work environment. “I am just going through the motions.” Background: Baby Boomer, laid off but just bounced back, hates to get up every morning. Wants to get out but can’t. “I am so over this job.” Background: … Continue reading

Norway / Becoming a winner in the race for skilled workers

With an economy stoked by oil riches, Norway is becoming a winner in the race for skilled workers as Europe suffers record unemployment. Euro-area joblessness was 12.1 percent in July and 16.4 percent are out of work in Portugal, which was forced to seek a bailout in 2011. Unemployment in Norway, western Europe’s biggest oil … Continue reading

Spain / Youth unemployment at record 56.1%

Youth unemployment in Spain has reached a new high of 56.1%, a quarter of the 3.5 million under-25s jobless across the eurozone, according to the latest Eurostat figures. The number of young Spaniards belonging to what has become known as the lost generation is up 2% since June to 883,000. Only Greece has a higher … Continue reading

US / Why Local Double-Digit Unemployment Persists

Based on recent national unemployment rates, it would appear that job creation has improved sharply from when the economy was shedding half a million jobs a month and the jobless rate rose to more than 10%. For much of the country that is true. However, some geographic pockets of unemployment remain in double-digit percentages. Most … Continue reading

US / Fast-food workers on strike for a ‘living wage’

Fast-food workers went on strike and protested outside McDonald’s, Burger King and other restaurants in 60 U.S. cities on Thursday, in the largest protest of an almost year-long campaign to raise service sector wages. Rallies were held in cities from New York to Oakland and stretched into the South, historically difficult territory for organized labor. … Continue reading

Poverty, brain power and the Chicago’s School of economics

Poverty and the all-consuming fretting that comes with it require so much mental energy that the poor have little brain power left to devote to other areas of life, according to the findings of an international study published on Thursday. The mental strain could be costing poor people up to 13 IQ (intelligence quotient) points … Continue reading

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