Since too much inequality can foment revolt and instability, the CIA regularly updates statistics on income distribution for countries around the world, including the U.S. Between 1997 and 2007, inequality in the U.S. grew by almost 10 percent, making it more unequal than Russia, infamous for its powerful oligarchs. The U.S. is not faring well … Continue reading
“In the three decades prior to the recent economic downturn, wage gaps widened and household income inequality increased in a large majority of OECD countries. This occurred even when countries were going through a period of sustained economic and employment growth” writes the OECD in its 2011 report An Overview of Growing Income Inequalities in OECD Countries. … Continue reading
Up to 82.33 percent of Taiwan’s office workers want to land a new job before the Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 10, 2013, because of the economic slowdown, the results of a survey released on Friday showed. Among those interested in getting a new job, 36.7 percent said they were planning to do … Continue reading
Employers took 1,759 mass layoff actions in November involving 173,558 workers as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month. Mass layoff events increased by 399 from October, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 42,385. Mass layoff data for November reflect the impact of Hurricane Sandy on workers in … Continue reading
Cuba’s drive to slash state payrolls and spur private-sector growth picked up surprising steam in 2012 as President Raul Castro moved ahead with reforms to the Soviet-style economy, according to figures unveiled recently with little hoopla. The number of private or “non state” workers rose 23 per cent in 2012, while state sector employment dropped … Continue reading
Many new jobs are expected to open up in India in the coming year, offering opportunities to home-sick Indian expats who long for a job back home. Ushering in 2013, estimates show that the country may see more than a million jobs being created over the course of the next 12 months. The country suffered … Continue reading
France’s Constitutional Council on Saturday rejected a 75 percent upper income tax rate to be introduced in 2013 in a setback to Socialist President Francois Hollande’s push to make the rich contribute more to cutting the public deficit. The Council ruled that the planned 75 percent tax on annual income above 1 million euros ($1.32 … Continue reading
More than eight years have passed since Her Majesty the Queen lamented the effects of the brain drain caused by the mandatory retirement of civil servants at the age of 60. The Civil Service Commission agreed with her suggestions and in 2008 a legal amendment to the Civil Service Act was approved to allow a … Continue reading
The French economy grew less than initially reported in the third quarter, signaling a recovery that may be too weak to help President Francois Hollande’s government reduce unemployment that’s at a 15-year high. Gross domestic product rose 0.1 percent, half the pace estimated on Nov. 15, statistics institute Insee in Paris said today. Data late … Continue reading
“Economic conditions for children today are similar to those of a year ago—and much worse than they were in 2007. Millions of families with children have not yet regained ground lost during the recession.” write Julia B. Isaacs and Olivia Healy in The Recession’s Ongoing Impact on Children, 2012: Indicators of Children’s Economic Well-Being (Adapted choosen excerpts by … Continue reading
Economics correspondent Paul Solman revisits Lincoln Electric, a welding manufacturing company based outside Cleveland, Ohio. Through its use of merit-based profit-sharing and a no-layoff policy, the firm is an unlikely Rust Belt success story that hasn’t laid off anyone for financial reasons since World War II. PAUL SOLMAN: A bright light in Rust Belt America: … Continue reading
The energy boom unfolding in the northern Plains states, centered in North Dakota, is quickly spilling over into Montana. It’s a big reason the U.S. is now forecast to be the world’s biggest oil producer within a decade. Not surprisingly, the boom is affecting the economic and educational choices of young people. Reporter Jack Healy is … Continue reading
Michigan Republicans are pushing low wages, claiming that “right-to-work” laws will “attract businesses.” Conservatives argue that strong unions cost jobs and anti-union “right-to-work” laws will bring jobs, because companies will move to places where workers are less able to fight for good pay and benefits… Right-to-work laws have not succeeded in boosting employment growth in … Continue reading
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 350,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 362,000. The 4-week moving average was 356,750, a decrease of 11,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 368,000. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment … Continue reading
It doesn’t take a degree in economics to know that unemployment hurts an economy. Would-be workers spend less because they earn less (or nothing), and a country’s financial workings and GDP suffer as a result. That much is easy to see, but many of unemployment’s effects can’t be predicted by textbooks, like the full extent … Continue reading