Private Pensions – Timely Action Needed to Address Impending Multiemployer Plan Insolvencies (GAO); Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy (CRS); and Job Sprawl Stalls: The Great Recession and Metropolitan Employment Location (Brookings).
Archive for Business
International Comparative Employment Statistics
The OECD has issued a vast array of employment statistics for its member countries as well as including the BRICS, EU, and G7 nations. Data can be customized by year, sex and age range. Extensive “source” information for the statistics is readily available and there are dozens of comparative, interactive measurements. Key employment statistics contain pre-packaged basic figures while country snapshots allow comparisons of up to four countries simultaneously. Two previous blog entries provide additional relevant links: International Unemployment Rates and Updated International Labor Statistics.
Total Compensation Costs for Union and Non-Union Members, 2001-2011
This brief study highlights how unions, even as they decline in membership over the years, still provide their people with higher benefit and wage packages. Graphs and charts augment this presentation. The data are also arranged by broad occupational groupings and are further broken down into civilian, private industry, and state and local government categories.
Business Statistics at National, State, County, Metropolitan Area, and Zip Code Levels
The County Business Patterns 2011 has just been released by the Census Bureau. However, the title really is a misnomer since you can drill down information to the zip code level or expand up to national figures. What is does give is “…number of establishments, employment during the week of March 12, first quarter payroll, and annual payroll…” at all the previously mentioned levels. For example, you can get data on United States, New Jersey, NY Metropolitan Area, Hudson County, and zip code 07305 (which includes NJCU). And all these figures are arranged by NAICS codes; not surprisingly, Hudson County has no agricultural businesses! Here is the informative news release.
Recent Cybersecurity Reports
Some notable reports include: Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (with threat assessments; all volumes available); 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report (Verizon); State of the Internet, 4th Quarter, 2012 (Akamai, free registration required, has a separate section on security); Cybersecurity: Selected Legal Issues (CRS); The 2013 Cybersecurity Executive Order: Overview and Considerations for Congress, (CRS); 2013 Internet Security Threat Report (Symantec); FireEye Advanced Threat Report – 2H 2012; Cybersecurity – A Better Defined and Implemented National Strategy Is Needed to Address Persistent Challenges (GAO); and Cybersecurity Privacy Practical Implications (EPIC).
Economic Crisis – April 2013 Update
Do economies stall? The international evidence (Bank for International Settlements); Financial Condition of Depository Banks (CRS); and Household Debt in the U.S.: 2000-2011 (Census).
How Much Are Baseball Teams Worth? What Are Players Paid?
A lot. Not surprisingly, the Yankess top the list at $2.3 billion. For a listing of the other teams and the rationale behind the valuations, please come here. On a related note, come here to find out ballplayers’ salaries.
Employer Demands for Social Media Passwords
Of late, it has not been uncommon for employers or potential employers to demand access to an employee’s or prospective employee’s social media passwords and accounts. However, there are moves afoot to block this trend. Social Media in the Workplace: Employer Protections versus Employee Privacy reviews initiatives to block such requests; it presents a global perspective. On the national level, the Social Networking Online Protection Act has been introduced in Congress. On the state level, the National Council of State Legislatures maintains the Employer Access to Social Media Passwords 2013 Legislation database that shows which states are currently proposing laws prohibiting employer demands for social media passwords; New Jersey is one of the states with legislation under review. Social Media and Employment Hiring is a series of articles from Forbes on this topic
Economic Crisis – March 2013 Update
Economic Crisis – February 2013 Update
Financial Globalisation and the Crisis (Bank for International Settlements); Tracking Europe’s Debt Crisis (IMF);and World Economic Outlook Update: Gradual Upturn in Global Growth During 2013 (IMF).
What Fees Does Your Airline Charge?
It would appear that every airline levies a fee for every amenity and service they provide. This Comprehensive Airline Fees Guide lists the major U.S. carriers and what they charge for booking fees, change fees, pillows, premium seats, and so on. This way, you’ll know how much your flight is really going to cost you.
What Are the Top Manufacturing Countries?
According to the 2013 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index from Deloitte, based on interviews with 550 CEOs and senior manufacturing leaders, China tops the list and will do so for at least the next five years. The United States placed third and will drop to fifth place in five years as developing economies like Brazil and Singapore surge up the list. Dozens of tables and figures track the various input and output criteria used to create this list. Appendix A offers a detailed look at the top ten countries, performing what can only be called a SWOT analysis on each.
Economic Crisis – January 2013 Update
Unemployment Insurance in the Wake of the Recent Recession (CBO); Beige Book (November, Federal Reserve); Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy (CRS); Quality of Life in Europe: Impacts of the Crisis (EU); The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff on the States (Pew); U.S. Income Distribution and Mobility: Trends and International Comparisons (CRS); Addressing the Long-Run Budget Deficit: A Comparison of Approaches (CRS); Taxes and the Economy: An Economic Analysis of the Top Tax Rates Since 1945 (Updated) CRS; and Global Financial Crisis, Financial Contagion and Emerging Markets (IMF).
What is the “Fiscal Cliff”?
The fiscal cliff refers to the $1.2T in tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts which will commence at the beginning of 2013 unless the White House and Congress can reach some sort of agreement. For those who seek elucidation and clarification, the following sites will prove helpful: The “Fiscal Cliff”: Macroeconomic Consequences of Tax Increases and Spending Cuts (CRS); “Fiscal Cliff” (Investopedia); What is the Fiscal Cliff? (Council on Foreign Affairs); Q&A: What is the Fiscal Cliff? (Wall Street Journal); Fiscal Cliff (The Economist); Fiscal Policy and the Fiscal Cliff (Brookings); US Fiscal Cliff (Financial Times); and Q&A: Understanding the Fiscal Cliff (The New York Times).
Should the U.S. Replace the $1 Bill With a $1 Coin?
If you read this GAO report - U.S. Coin: Benefits and Considerations for Replacing the $1 Note with a $1 Coin – the answer is yes. According to it, the U.S. stands to gain hundreds of millions of dollars through the simple expediency of not having to replace worn-out dollar bills; the total net benefits over 30 years is calculated to be $4.4B. As this document points out, it has recommended this process half a dozen times in the past couple of decades. (A link to previous reports is given at the bottom of page 1.) Many countries have successfully switched over, and the report highlights the Canadian experience. This country has had less luck – anyone remember the Susan B. Anthony dollar or the Sacagawea dollar coin? There is currently a bill before Congress, the Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act, otherwise known as the COINS Act. (You can view the text of the bill, a summary, cosponsors, and related bills at the above link.) Additional information can be read at: The Fate of One-Dollar Coins in the United States (Federal Reserve of Cleveland); Should We Kill the Dollar Bill? (NPR); U.S. Department of the Treasury; Some Seek to Replace the Dollar Bill With the Dollar Coin (New York Times); and New U.S. Dollar Coin (CRS).
Economic Crisis – December 2012 Update
The Hard Road to Fiscal Responsibility (Brookings Institution); What Accounts for the Slow Growth of the Economy After the Recession? (CBO); Social Spending After the Crisis (OECD); Weathering the Great Recession: Did High-Poverty Neighborhoods Fare Worse? (Pew); How Severe Was the Credit Cycle in the New York-Northern New Jersey Region? (NY Federal Reserve); and A State-by-State Analysis of Income Trends (Economic Policy Institute).
World Energy Statistics
Published by the International Energy Agency, Key World Energy Statistics ”…contains timely, clearly-presented data on the supply, transformation and consumption of all major energy sources.”(3) Therefore, information is presented on the production, export and import of biofuels, hydro, coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energies. Graphs and charts accompany the breakdowns. Selected indicators for each country in the world follow in a separate section, which is in turn followed by a glossary of terms. Compare this to the 2009 Energy Statistics Yearbook from the UN or the International Energy Statistics section of the US Energy Information Administration.
How Companies Around the World Use Social Media
This survey involves 17 different countries, including the United States. Experts in each country were asked a series of identical questions on the use of social media in recruitment, disciplining and dismissal, protecting the business, and legal proceedings. For example: Can a prospective employer ask for your Facebook password? Can your company monitor your use of social media sites during work hours? Can your company dismiss you for using social media sites during work or after work? The answers may surprise you!
BP Pleads Guilty in Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe
BP has acknowledged its culpability in the criminal phase of the Deepwater Horizon case. In return for a plea bargain and payment of a $4 billion fine, BP has pled guilty to 11 felony manslaughter charges, 1 felony obstruction of Congress, and violations of the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Act. The New York Times has an overview of the entire Deepwater Horizon incident; NPR has also been following this as has C-SPAN.
Economic Crisis – November 2012 Update
BOOMERS AND THE GREAT RECESSION: STRUGGLING TO RECOVER (AARP); The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress (CRS); Job Polarization and Rising Inequality in the Nation and the New York-Northern New Jersey Region (NY Federal Reserve); Sovereign Debt: A Modern Greek Tragedy; The Boom and Bust of U.S. Housing Prices from Various Geographic Perspectives; Disentangling Diverse Measures: A Survey of Financial Stress Indexes; Okun’s Law over the Business Cycle: Was the Great Recession All That Different? (all from St Louis Federal Reserve); Coping with High Debt and Sluggish Growth (IMF); Unemployment: Issues in the 112th Congress (CRS); The Response of the U.S. Public Workforce System to High Unemplyment during the Great Recession (Urban Institute); Job Growth During the Recovery (CRS); How Are Baby Boomers Spending Their Money? (National Center for Policy Analysis); and Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Financial Status: Frequently Asked Questions (CRS).
