September 2013___________________________________Labor line has job news and commentary with a one stop short cut for America's job markets and job related data including the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This month's job and employment summary data are below. This month's inflation data is below.The Establishment Job Report and Establishment Job Details for data released September 6, 2013.American Job Market The ChronicleCurrent Job and Employment Data Jobs Total Non-Farm Establishment Jobs up 169,000 to 136,133,000Total...
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Monday, 7 October 2013
Mr. Boehner and the Debt Ceiling
Posted on 11:14 by Unknown
The Congress has passed debt ceiling legislation for many years pandering to voters who worry debt is sin, or a symbol of excess, or brings economic collapse. As the economy grows debt grows creating a repeated cycle of debt ceiling votes. Taking a vote gives a minority of politicians an opportunity to make politically correct statements about the excesses of government and their noble efforts to limit the excess. Then the majority makes the only sensible decision and votes to raise the debt ceiling. I have never heard a politician of either party...
Thursday, 12 September 2013
A Walmart Minimum Wage for the District of Columbia
Posted on 12:00 by Unknown
The District of Columbia City Council recently passed the Large Retailer Accountability Act that the mayor still needs to sign. Retailers, who are part of a larger company with revenue over $1 billion per year and occupy more than 75,000 feet of retail space, will be expected to pay all employees at least $12.50 an hour. In effect, the City Council has decided Walmart should be required to pay better wages than the $8.25 minimum wage everyone else is required to pay. Economic conditions in retail for the District of Columbia suggest possible surprises...
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Federal Taxes and Horizontal Equity
Posted on 13:24 by Unknown
Taxes should be fair and horizontal equity defines one principle of tax fairness. It means economic equals should be taxed an equal amount. Horizontal equity applied to taxes on $50,000 of income assures all those who earn $50,000 of income pay the same tax. Taxation that treats equals equally avoids giving preferences to different sources of income and avoids deductions and exclusions that do not apply equally to all. In practice, the characteristics that define equals vary some depending on personal opinion. For example, in federal taxation a...
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
The Signal and the Noise
Posted on 11:58 by Unknown
Nate Silver, The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail And Some Don’t” (NY: Penguin Press, 2012), 454 pages.Nate Silver gained national attention with a forecasting system he developed in 2003 called PECOTA. He used baseball data to forecast the performance of major league baseball players. It was very successful and the attention he got allowed him the time and money to expand his interests into other areas and write us a thoughtful and reflective book on forecasting. The Signal and the Noise is a book for people who like data and...
Monday, 8 July 2013
Inflation and Wages for 2006 to 2012
Posted on 11:32 by Unknown
News of college graduates struggling to pay student loans draws attention to wages. College graduates who cannot find jobs using their college degree skills add to the pool of labor looking for already low wage jobs, potentially lowering wages and buying power even more. Wages need to keep up with inflation to assure Americans can buy what they produce and keep themselves employed. In practice comparing wages over time requires adjusting wages for inflation with the Consumer Price Index to compare buying power, or real wages. For example, the median...
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Computer Support Specialists
Posted on 12:38 by Unknown
Computer Support Specialists have two occupationsStandard Occupational Classification #15-1151 Computer User Support SpecialistsStandard Occupational Classification #15-1152 Computer Network Support SpecialistsSOC Definition for #15-1151-- Provide technical assistance to computer users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, or via telephone or electronically. May provide assistance concerning the use of computer hardware and software, including printing, installation, word processing, electronic mail, and operating...
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