Italy’s central bank chief on Saturday predicted that the eurozone’s third-largest economy will see a return to growth next year, but he confirmed forecasts that 2012 will be a “year of recession.” Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco also described Italian banks as being sound in terms of having adequate capital, but cautioned that the … Continue reading
The Weekly Leading Index (WLI) growth indicator of the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) came in at -3.7 in today’s public release of the data through February 10th. This is the fifth consecutive week of improvement (less negative) data for the Growth Index and the highest level (i.e., least negative) since August 26th of last … Continue reading
It seemed next to impossible last year — but, it’s a new year, and Congress finally decided to come together and pass something. A pretty big, $143 billion something. Fox Business: “Both the House and Senate have passed legislation extending the payroll tax cut for 160 million workers. It also extends long-term jobless benefits through … Continue reading
There is a lot of good news to buoy the markets and give cheer to the public. We hear that new jobless claims are down another 15,000 to 358,000, the ninth week of declines out of the last ten, finally breaking below the 400,000 mark. A reduction in unemployment is a very positive sign and is politically significant. Also … Continue reading
The Greek economy shrank nearly 7% in 2011, the fifth straight year the country has been in a recession. GDP has shriveled by a sixth since 2006, and unemployment has tripled over that period to 20%. With new rounds of austerity just announced, and a default yet to come, the nightmare isn’t even close to … Continue reading
The United States economy is on the road to recovery, the White House said Friday, with stronger job growth expected this year. But income inequality and Europe’s debt crisis could still pose challenges, according to a report released by President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. Before Obama even took office, America had lost 4.4 million … Continue reading
The civil service documents that reveal the government’s policy proposal to make disabled people work unpaid for an unlimited amount of time We’ve had a lot of interest in our story on disabilities published last night. Many of the comments that have been posted express a sense of disbelief at the Department for Work and … Continue reading
The Czech Republic’s Statistics Office says the country’s economy shrank by a 0.3 percent in the final three months of 2011 to slip into recession after a brief recovery. The economy contracted for the second consecutive quarter after it was down by 0.1 percent in the third quarter — the technical definition of a recession. … Continue reading
The German economy shrank by 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, as the euro crisis began to bite. But the contraction was less than expected, and economists expect Germany to avoid the recession plaguing many countries in the euro crisis. Leading indicators point to a resumption of growth by mid-2012. The German economy, … Continue reading
In June 2010, a university student named Liu Jiang arrived in the southern Chinese city of Foshan to begin his summer internship, at a factory that produces LCD screens for laptops and cell phones for the manufacturing giant Foxconn. As a student at the Dongfang Vocational School of Technology in the northern city of Shijiazhuang, … Continue reading
User complaints mount as site’s availability takes a hit. Former operator Monster offers free job ad postings to government agencies “The federal government’s central website for posting thousands of federal job openings, USAjobs.gov, has seen performance problems and complaints about searches since the government took it back this month from Monster.com, which had been running the … Continue reading
According to a survey of 300 hiring professionals conducted by Reppler, a social media monitoring service for managing online presence, a job candidate’s social network is thoroughly examined during the hiring process by 91 percent of employers and recruiters. Consider the findings from the survey below: The most utilized social network to screen candidates is … Continue reading
If they become unemployed, low-paid workers such as cleaners, catering assistants and machine operators are most likely to be on the dole for more than six months, according to a new TUC analysis published today (Monday) ahead of the latest unemployment statistics this week. The TUC analysis shows that as unemployment rises and the number … Continue reading
Two-fifths of high school students graduate prepared neither for traditional college nor for career training, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Arizona. College-preparatory programming has expanded dramatically in the past decade, with participation in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate more than tripling. Career-preparatory programs have evolved, as … Continue reading
If Stephen Harper was to announce tomorrow that the age at which people will be eligible for Old Age Security was going to increase to 67 in the year 2025, who would protest? Not the over 50s: they’ll still be able to start claiming at 65 as planned. Not many of the under 50s, either. … Continue reading