Maestro Wages May Sink US Orchestras

(NEWSER) - Wall Street and Washington financial gurus may be seeing “green shoots” of economic recovery, but small businesses are still stuck in the mud, Kevin Kelly writes in Newsweek. Kelly, the CEO of a bag manufacturing company, says too many colleagues' businesses are losing sales, laying off workers, or shutting down altogether. “Call us pessimists, but we're not sure the green shoots aren't just weeds,” he writes. More»

(NEWSER) - The economic crisis and outdated business models are forcing steep cuts at three venerable news organizations. The New York Times today announced a 5% pay cut for all employees, who were offered 10 extra days off as compensation, "in a spirit of shared sacrifice and as a way to otherwise avoid layoffs in the newsroom," Executive Editor Bill Keller wrote in a memo to the staff. Keller also announced a cut of 100 positions on the business side, the New York Observer reports. More»

Each default brings widespread fallout

(NEWSER) - Stores across the country are closing their doors, the New York Times reports, victims of a downturn in consumer spending. Retailers are often heavily leveraged, and as the economy falters banks are tightening credit. Several chains, including Sharper Image, have declared bankruptcy; others like Footlocker, Ann Taylor, and Zales are closing stores to stay afloat. “You have the makings of a wave of significant bankruptcies,” said a former Kmart executive. More»

'Boomerang kids' have trouble finding well-paying work

(NEWSER) - As many as three out of 10 young adults are moving back in with their parents—resulting in the highest share of 18- to 34-year-olds living with multiple generations since the 1950s—after finding themselves unable to find lucrative employment in this dismal economy. They're dubbed "boomerang kids" because they depart for school or work only to return to the nest, but surprisingly, reports the Christian Science Monitor , 78% say they're happy living at home and 24% say it's positive for their relationship with their parents. More»

They're down over the last decade, in contrast to overall numbers

(NEWSER) - The group getting hit the hardest by plummeting wages caused by high unemployment is the young. The hourly pay for male college graduates ages 23 to 29 fell 11% over the past decade to $21.68 while their female counterparts saw a dip of 7.6% to $18.80, reports the Wall Street Journal . By contrast, the wages for production workers and non-supervisors of all ages ticked up 3% over the same period. More»