Bummer Economy? Move Home!

(NEWSER) - If you’re the glass-half-full type, recent economic indicators look good: Unemployment fell last month, the savings rate is up, and productivity hit a 6-year high. But that same data proves that ordinary people aren’t likely to feel the good vibrations anytime soon, the Washington Post reports. “It's going to be a recovery only a statistician can love,” said a Wells Fargo economist. More»

(NEWSER) - Lots of economists are predicting that unemployment, which at last count hung at 9.4%, will hit 10% before the calendar changes, but Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com disagrees. For that to happen, the economy would need to lose another million jobs or so, and "the jobs picture is steadily brightening." Unfortunately, the math becomes complicated if the workforce expands. More»

Colin Powell 'concerned' by Obama's spending

(NEWSER) - Joe Biden conceded today that the Obama administration “misread” how bad the economy actually was and that now the unemployment rate is “much too high,” The Hill reports. In an interview taped in Iraq with This Week, the vice president also said the US doesn’t intend to slow its withdrawal plans from Iraq even if violence surges after American forces leave. More»

Figure shows troubling disconnect between employers, workers

(NEWSER) - Even with the unemployment rate shattering records, 3 million jobs nationwide remain unfilled. But the growing mismatch between employers and workers tarnishes that silver lining, Peter Coy argues in BusinessWeek. Untrained job-seekers often don’t have necessary skills to work in growing sectors like health care and accounting, and employers complain of the mounting backlog the labor shortage causes. More»

Credentialed jobs are faring best in downturn

(NEWSER) - More bad news for 1.5 million college seniors graduating this year into a tough job market: Less money. The average salary offer to a new recipient of a bachelor's degree is $48,515, down 2.2% from last year's $49,624, says a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Just six months ago, the survey projected an increase of 7.6%, reports BusinessWeek. More»