The notion that somehow public workers' pay packages are breaking the state budget just don't hold up. These workers' entire compensation package -- salary, health care, pensions, etc. -- make up a tiny fraction of Wisconsin's spending.
Whether it was a fresh startup or a fresh start, fewer Americans seemed willing to take career risks last year, according to a new report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The percentage of job-seekers starting their own businesses or relocating for new positions fell to historic lows in 2010.
The world's largest automaker is looking to reduce managerial staff at its sales headquarters in Torrance, Calif., by offering workers a buyout.
Ford Motor said sales of its cars and trucks rose 13.3% in January on improved demand by consumers, bucking last year's trend, when sales to fleet customers largely drove the increase. For the month, the automaker sold 127,317 units, up 13.3% compared to a year ago.
New forecasts show that the worst may be over for the construction industry, which was hit harder by the Great Recession than any other sector, as construction projects slowly resume. Some 27% of construction firms say they plan to add staff this year, while only 20% plan to cut jobs.
Americans who are unemployed or underemployed are three times as likely to fall behind on their bills as those who are fully employed, according to a Gallup Poll released Tuesday.
Tech layoffs came to just under 47,000 last year, according to employment-services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Better still, during the next 10 years, the sector is forecast to have one of the fastest paces of job creation of any industry.
Washington has been borrowing Social Security's surpluses for decades and issuing IOUs in return. However, the ability to pay those IOUs depends on the Treasury borrowing more money on global bond markets at affordable rates. That's hardly a sure thing.
Is the worst of the Recession behind us? Yes, say the majority of Americans, according to a national poll conducted by Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
There's no way to sugarcoat it: The U.S. job deficit is huge, and it will take years to fix. But investors shouldn't become too pessimistic. America's economy has the capacity to adapt and renew itself faster than many folks expect.
Up to now, they survived the downturn with minimal damage. But that's changing, even as the economy rebounds. Unemployment among people under 25 with a bachelor's degree is now 9.6% vs. 5% just two years ago.
The U.S. economy has strengthened, but not enough for the government to pare down its bond-buying program, according to the latest Fed minutes. In late 2010, investments rose and the job market improved -- but the housing market remained depressed.
Economists generally expect employers to steadily add more workers in 2011, perhaps as many as 250,000 a month by year-end. However, with so many long-term unemployed returning to the market, the jobless rate could still outpace those new positions.
If the stock market reflected the entire economy, happy days would surely be here again. But, alas, it reflects just the profit potential of public companies. And for millions of unemployed Americans, that's proving to be no help at all.
An increasing number of observers, citing a preponderance of positive data, are optimistic that the stagnant labor market is finally beginning to gain momentum. But the pace is still way too slow for those desperately seeking work.