Report

US – Employment recovery has been historically slow writes Atlanta Fed in its Annual Report

The nation’s labor market has recovered far more slowly after the Great Recession than it did following every other economic downturn since World War II. To be sure, employment growth was promising in 2013, and the unemployment rate declined. Other measures of the labor market remained subdued, however. The compensation to workers—including benefits and adjusted … Continue reading →

IMF – There is growing evidence that high income inequality can be detrimental to achieving macroeconomic stability and growth

Income inequality has increased in both advanced and developing economies in recent decades. Increasing inequality has been attributed to a range of factors, including the globalization and liberalization of factor and product markets; skill-biased technological change; increases in labor force participation by low-skilled workers; declining top marginal income tax rates; increasing bargaining power of high … Continue reading →

Long-Term Unemployment in US – CBO on its causes, effects, and policy options

Minimum Wage and Poverty in US – The income boost would be less than $1.00 for each $1.00 increase in gross earnings writes Congressional Research Service

Pending before Congress is legislation (S. 1737 and H.R. 1010) that would raise the federal minimum wage from its current $7.25 per hour to, ultimately, $10.10 per hour. The minimum wage would be adjusted for inflation thereafter. Whether the minimum wage or alternative policies, namely government-funded earnings supplements such as the Earned Income Tax Credit … Continue reading →

The Ageing Workforce in Europe – A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit

Historically low birth rates and increasing life expectancy mean that Europe’s working population is ageing fast. In 2012, the continent reached an inevitable demographic tipping point. The percentage of the population at working age fell for the first time in 40 years. It is now forecast to fall every year until 2060. This inescapable trend … Continue reading →

“4G” workplaces in UK / Some of your colleagues are old enough to be your great-grandparents

 Some of your colleagues are old enough to be your great-grandparents, your office is entirely online and your competitors are algorithms. Welcome to the future of work in the UK. A ground-breaking report on the future of work, published today, highlights the dramatic changes the UK’s workers can expect to see in the next two … Continue reading →

US Job Market / A slow recovery reflecting slow growth in demand says CBO

The deep recession that began in December 2007, when the economy began to contract, and ended in June 2009, when the economy began to expand again, has had a lasting effect on the labor market. More than four and a half years after the end of the recession, employment has risen sluggishly—much more slowly than … Continue reading →

Manufacturing in Ontario / Some 300,000 jobs lost over the past decade

Ontario’s manufacturing sector was once the bedrock of the province’s economy. But over the past decade the sector has lost some 300,000 jobs and its share of GDP has declined sharply. Whereas in 2002 the sector accounted for 8.9 per cent of Canada’s GDP and 21.7 per cent of Ontario’s, it now accounts for just … Continue reading →

US / Manufacturing in International Perspective

This report is designed to inform the debate over the health of U.S. manufacturing through a series of charts and tables that depict the position of the United States relative to other countries according to various metrics. Understanding which trends in manufacturing reflect factors that may be unique to the United States and which are … Continue reading →

Unemployed Specialist Physicians in Canada / 16 percent of new specialist and subspecialist physicians said they cannot find work; 31 percent pursue further training to become more employable

More than 100 stakeholders in the medical profession are gathering in Ottawa this week to discuss a paradoxical issue affecting health care in Canada: a growing number of doctors without jobs. The National Summit on Physician Employment, to be held Tuesday and Wednesday, was organized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in response … Continue reading →

Latin American youth / Trapped by unemployment and informality says ILO

Latin America’s jobs-creating economic growth has not been strong enough in recent years to improve the employment outlook for young people trapped by unemployment and informality, the ILO said. “We are faced with a political challenge that calls for a determination to apply innovative and effective policies to confront labour market precariousness,” said Elizabeth Tinoco, … Continue reading →

US / Income inequality is now near a record high reports a Senate Joint Economic Committee

Recent economic news has been encouraging. Gross domestic product (GDP) has grown for 10 straight quarters (growing by 4.1 percent at an annual rate in the third quarter of 2013), the economy has added private-sector jobs for 46 consecutive months and the housing market continues to strengthen. Despite the current economic recovery, the income inequality … Continue reading →

US / Long- term unemployment spans all industries, education levels, age groups, and among blue- and white-collar workers

Today, we are still struggling with the terrible crisis of long-term unemployment left in the Great Recession’s wake, as data suggest many of the remaining unemployed individuals have been unemployed for very long periods.  While older workers and disadvantaged populations may face particular challenges, long- term unemployment affects a diverse group of workers that, in … Continue reading →

US Solar Industry / Nearly 24,000 additional solar workers over last year

On January 27th, 2014, The Solar Foundation released National Solar Jobs Census 2013, which found that the U.S. solar industry currently employs over 142,000 Americans Continue reading →

Labor force projections to 2022 for the US / The overall labor force participation rate is expected to decline writes the BLS

Because of the decreasing labor force participation rate of youths and the prime age group, the overall labor force participation rate is expected to decline. The participation rates of older workers are projected to increase, but remain significantly lower than those of the prime age group. A combination of a slower growth of the civilian … Continue reading →