Michel Cournoyer

Take care of your Facebooking: 1 in 10 young people losing out jobs

A survey of young people aged 16 to 34 shows the impact their use of social media can have on their careers – but this won’t stop them from using it. On Device Research questioned more than 17,000 young people in six countries – the UK, the US, Nigeria, India, Brazil and China – on … Continue reading →

OECD / Endorsement of the Action Plan for Youth

OECD governments have committed to stepping up their efforts to tackle high youth unemployment and strengthen their education systems to better prepare young people for the world of work. Endorsing the OECD’s Action Plan for Youth at the Organisation’s annual Ministerial Meeting in Paris, ministers underlined the need to focus attention on the most disadvantaged … Continue reading →

Panasonic / To cut 5,000 jobs

In a drive to improve profits, Panasonic has announced plans to cut 5,000 jobs over the next three years. The cutbacks will hit its automotive and industrial unit, which accounts for about a third of the company’s workforce, the Nikkei reported Thursday, citing a Panasonic executive. “A reduction in labor costs will be a big … Continue reading →

Ireland / The numbers unemployed has gone below 300,000 for the first time since 2010

Employment increased by 20,500 in the year to the first quarter of 2013, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. This is a rise in employment of 1.1%. Employment increased by 7,700 in the first quarter of this year, following on from an increase of 12,100 in the final quarter of 2012. The numbers … Continue reading →

The Gender Wage Gap / Be or not to be ?

“Unequal pay for equal work? Not really” writes Katie Bardaro, Lead Economist, PayScale. “Women earn less than men on average because they often fill jobs with a large societal benefit, but small monetary benefit. Instead of focusing the debate on the misbegotten gender wage gap, we should instead examine why women are absent from high-paying … Continue reading →

Women / The chances of dying for those without a high school education 66 percent higher

Life expectancy among less-educated white women is decreasing while their better-educated peers are gaining longevity, a new study finds. According to the researchers, joblessness is one key factor in the the trend. The other is smoking. “Mortality is declining for high-educated women, but is increasing for low-educated women,” said study co-author Jennifer Karas Montez, a … Continue reading →

3-D printing / Filling the Skills Gap

Siemens Chief Operating Officer Eric Spiegel said Thursday the $440 million grant his company donated to Youngstown State University will help shore up the training gap for students to work in the 3-D printing field. Siemens, the electronics and electrical engineering company, on Wednesday donated $440 million to Youngstown State University students working with the … Continue reading →

Wisconsin / Study finds no Skills Gap

Wisconsin’s labor market shows no evidence of an existing or impending general “skills gaps,” according to a new analysis by a team of graduate students at UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. The students analyzed the supply and demand for labor by building projections for both overall levels of educational attainment and specific occupations … Continue reading →

Indonesia / Near 70 percent of workforce has not completed junior high school

An influential business lobby has called for better management of Indonesia’s human resources to help the country prepare for entry into a regional economic community in 2015. James Riady, the deputy for health and education affairs at the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), said at a meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday that it … Continue reading →

Job Search for Gen Y / Getting a job (Infographic)

Greece, Spain and Portugal / The Limits to the Unemployment Benefit Safety Net

Unemployment benefits are one of the safety nets available for people affected by the economic crisis in Greece, Spain and Portugal. This system — along with other social benefits such as pensions and increased remittance inflows from family members abroad, as well as aid from family members at home and, to some extent, informal economic activities — is somewhat … Continue reading →

Greece / Entering the worst jobs climate in Europe after the exams

Greece’s school exam season has arrived. But for many now facing the final-year tests known as the Panhellenics, the stress is twofold: last-minute cramming and the knowledge that they’ll soon enter the worst jobs climate in Europe. At 64.2%, youth unemployment in Greece is the highest in the continent. Those between the ages of 16 … Continue reading →

Europe / Five Myths About Youth Unemployment Crisis

MYTH 1: Nearly one in four young people in the EU is looking for work and can’t find it. REALITY: As in the U.S., the unemployment rate counts the unemployed as a share of only those who are in the labor force. It thereby excludes 15- to 24-year-olds who are enrolled in school or in training … Continue reading →

US / Jobless Claims rise but data could be distorted

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 354,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 344,000. The 4-week moving average was 347,250, an increase of 6,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 340,500. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment … Continue reading →

Grief, Grind, and Glory of Work