Outlook Bleak for Holiday Hiring

Get ready for 40% price cuts across the board amid weak demand

(NEWSER) - Planning to score a new TV on Black Friday? Apparently this is the year to do so, as deals are exploding in what one analyst calls a “dogfight” between top US retailers. Last year, some retailers only slashed prices on high-end TVs. This year, expect to see discounts across the board—including cuts of up to 40% from one year ago on big-screens—plus other incentives, like free shipping, as companies do whatever they can to lure customers. The TV market is not doing well as recession shoppers avoid purchasing nonessential items, Reuters notes. More»

Data don't support hysterical headlines

(NEWSER) - Fears of a double-dip recession is running high, but economic data suggest that they are unfounded. Writing in the Wall Street Journal , Milton Ezrati of the money management firm Lord Abbett explains:

1. The consumer is regaining strength: A 1.4% decline in retail sales for May gave rise to double-dip fears, but that was after 10% advance over the past 12 months. Meanwhile, household income is on the rise, and Americans are saving more—suggesting they can keep up current spending while paying down debt.

Online retailer beat the market with HDTVs, iPods, and Wii

(NEWSER) - The Grinch apparently didn’t sour shoppers on Amazon this year: The company said today the 2008 holiday season was its “best ever,” MarketWatch reports. Amazon sold more than 6.3 million items worldwide on Dec. 15, its peak day, amounting to “a record-breaking 72.9 items per second.” Last year it sold 5.4 million units on its top day. More»

It's a sign of economic confidence

(NEWSER) - February saw 2 million Americans quit their jobs—the most since November of 2008. And that's a very good sign for the rest of us, the Wall Street Journal notes. Quitting points to confidence in the economy, analysts say: If people don't think they'll be hired elsewhere, they tend to stick to their jobs. More than 3 million people quit their jobs per month before the recession; the figure fell to a record low 1.6 million in September 2009. More»

In part because they have to be

(NEWSER) - The good news is that at least one segment of the population has seen its employment statistics actually rise in this economic downturn. The bad news? That segment is older Americans, many of whom are only working because they're afraid they don't have enough savings to retire, the Washington Post reports. Since the start of the recession, the number of workers aged 55 and older has shot up by 3.1 million, or 12%. More»