Michel Cournoyer

Spain / Only 22% of 16-24 year olds are unemployed writes Carmen González Enríquez, not 55%

A common notion circulating inside and outside Spain is that over half of young Spaniards (aged 16-24) are unemployed –a ‘fact’ which furthers the image of deep crisis in Spain. The world’s most prestigious media report on such youth unemployment with alarm, contributing to this new ‘Black Legend’ of Spanish failure. The truth, however, is … Continue reading →

Germany / To Help Spain, Portugal and Greece and Greece on youth unemployment

The German government on Wednesday (22 May) announced a series of conferences and bilateral programmes to help youngsters from Spain, Portugal and Greece find a job, as regional statistics show 17 times more unemployed youngsters in northern Greece compared to Bavaria. According to the EU’s statistical office Eurostat, youth unemployment in the northern-Greek region of … Continue reading →

Sweden / Tackling youth unemployment through jobs guarantees (video)

US / Unemployment Insurance / Claims drop back

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 340,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 363,000. The 4-week moving average was 339,500, a decrease of 500 from the previous week’s revised average of 340,000. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment … Continue reading →

Australia / Ford to cut 1,200 jobs

Car manufacturer Ford announced today it will stop making vehicles in Australia in 2016 and axe 1,200 jobs, having produced its first car in the country in 1925. Ford Australia chief executive Bob Graziano made the announcement as he revealed a loss of 141 million Australian dollars ($136 million) after tax in the last financial … Continue reading →

Stockholm / Riots and immigration policy

The unrest has provoked intense soul-searching in a country that prides itself for both its generous welfare state and open immigration policy. Sweden accepted 44,000 asylum-seekers in 2012, up by nearly a half from a year earlier. Among industrial countries, it has the second-largest amount of asylum-seekers relative to its population, according to U.N. figures. … Continue reading →

China’s Labor Market

China’s labor markets are flashing a warning sign, with new job adverts on a leading recruitment website sharply down in April, and job losses in manufacturing spreading to the services sector. With the official data on labor markets infrequent — and, in some cases, misleading — alternative indicators take on an added significance. China Real … Continue reading →

Namibia / Union Urges Companies to Pay Minimum Wage

THE Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (Manwu) has urged the construction employers, especially in the north, to immediately comply with the implementation of minimum wages. The call was made by Manwu general secretary Justina Jonas at a press conference at Ongwediva yesterday. According to Jonas, Manwu has noted that there are many construction projects … Continue reading →

UK / Stress and presenteeism sapping productivity

A rise in presenteeism is affecting productivity levels at work, as nearly two in three employees have attended work while feeling ill in 2013. According to the research from business psychology company Robertson Cooper, productivity levels for employees who feel ill drops from 75% on ‘normal days’ to 55% on ‘sick days’. The study also … Continue reading →

Bernanke / Fighting Unemployment Is A Better Cure Than Austerity

The Federal Reserve chairman, in testimony before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress on Wednesday, suggested that ending the nation’s long-term unemployment crisis would be a more effective way of shrinking government deficits and debt than the austerity cocktail funneled down our throats by Congress and the White House in recent years. “The loss of … Continue reading →

Gen Y’s (Millennials) Impact

By 2025, Gen Y is going to make up 75% of the global workforce and their independent-thinking and entrepreneurial mindset is going to change the future of the workplace. Unless employers can understand this, they’ll risk losing their top talent, says Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding and author of the new book “Promote Yourself.” … Continue reading →

Greece / Photos of Growing Desperation

“Five euros only, just 5 euros,” whispered Maria, a young prostitute with sunken cheeks and bedraggled hair, as she pitched herself forward from the shadows of a graffiti-riddled alley in central Athens on a recent weeknight. As a chill wind swept paper and trash across a grimy sidewalk, Angelos Tzortzinis, a Greek photographer, caught sight … Continue reading →

Australia / Telstra to slash jobs

THE terminal decline of Telstra’s once-dominant fixed telephony business and the rise of new business opportunities have forced the telco giant into a major operational restructure that will affect half the company’s 30,000-strong domestic workforce. The restructure, which was announced yesterday in an internal memo from Telstra chief operations officer Brendon Riley, is likely to … Continue reading →

China / Liuzhou city to help graduates find jobs

Liuzhou city in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region pledged to work to help college graduates find jobs in the so-called toughest job market this year. It is estimated that the number of new college graduates who are expected to leave campus this summer will reach 6.99 million, the highest record in China. As many … Continue reading →

Working in Asia Grows Tougher for Westerners

Despite low unemployment and solid hiring across many sectors, the job market in Asia is gradually becoming less welcoming for Westerners. Even before the global financial crisis, newcomers to Asia could not expect to walk into a job in the region unless they had particularly sought-after skills. About 60 percent of job specs processed by … Continue reading →