According to The Economist, “the academic achievements of (german) schoolchildren, measured in international tests, look only mediocre… (And) the reading abilities of German 15-year-olds, according to the PISA studies published by the OECD, are below the average for rich countries. The question is then: “In a world where brainpower matters more and more, how does … Continue reading
In May last year an Australian embassy press release stated that more than 5,000 Pakistani students have chosen Australia as their destination to study. How many of these people actually go abroad to study? The answer is nil. As a resident of Australia I can say that ninety-nine per cent of these so-called students are actually professionals … Continue reading
The Congressional Budget Office has released its updated 10-year budget and economic forecast. Actually, the CBO offers two forecasts. It has a baseline forecast, which assumes current law stays in place. It also has an “alternative” forecast which assumes current tax and spending policy stays in place as is—even if the law says it must … Continue reading
Viola Caon left her Italian home to find work. Now she returns to see how her former classmates are faring… and in the week that shocking figures showed how badly Europe’s youth is being hit by the unemployment crisis, we also talk to hard-hit twentysomethings in Athens and Madrid Maybe being young is never easy. … Continue reading
Societies with more income inequality have higher infant death rates than other societies: Societies with more income inequality have higher rates of mental illness than other societies: Societies with more income inequality have a higher incidence of drug use than other societies: Societies with more income inequality have a higher high school drop out rate than … Continue reading
Following the Fed’s somewhat downbeat perspective on growth, confidence in investors’ minds that the US can decouple has been temporarily jilted back to reality. It is of course no surprise and as theWorld Bank points out half of the world’s approximately $15 trillion trade in goods and services involves Europe. So the next time some talking … Continue reading
A report released Thursday claimed it will take another two to three years for the Bay Area to regain all jobs that were lost in the recession. However, the report also suggested that the road to recovery runs right through Silicon Valley. The Bay Area Council Economic Institute expects Silicon Valley to recover all of … Continue reading
The chart here offers one of the better recent snapshots of the American economy that you will find. The blue line shows the rate at which the government — federal, state and local — has been growing or shrinking. The red line shows the same for the private sector. Quarterly change at seasonally adjusted annual … Continue reading
An increasing number of observers have hastened to declare that the European debt crisis has been practically resolved or at least stemmed for a few years. This view was reinforced by the falling yields at the last Italian government bond auctions of 2011, which suggested a significant reduction in the perceived sovereign default risk. Since … Continue reading
Unemployment in the eurozone hit a record high at the end of last year, the Eurostat agency has said. The jobless rate in the 17 countries that use the single currency was 10.4% in December, unchanged from November’s figure which was revised up from 10.3%. Some 16.5 million people were out of work in the … Continue reading
A panel of workforce and education experts said Thursday that there needs to be a collaborative effort among students, parents, educational leaders and businesses to create more employment in Georgia and fill the growing void of unskilled workers. “We’re at a unique time in our economy,” said Glenn Rasco, vice president of community and economic … Continue reading