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There are no “minority” races in the public school systems of America’s Southern and Western states. Literally. A new study, released last week and reported in the New York Times, reveals that white students are no longer a demographic majority in the 15 states of Dixie. The same has been true in the West since 2003. And no majority means no “minorities,” either.

Read the article – http://www.theroot.com/views/glenn-becks-worst-nightmare-america-without-minorities

Well…Colorado is the first state to drop it’s minimum wage by 3 cents per hour.  It’s minimum wage was set last year at $7.28 and will be reduced to $7.25 this week.  Colorado is one of ten states that the minimum wage is directly tied to state inflation and the goal was to protect low income workers from getting hit on their paychecks as cost of living rises. 

But this change in minimum wages has some side effects…such as the this would allow state wide wage decreases.  Many people that are unemployed or have been working part time jobs to make ends meet have already been struggling on a daily basis. 

There are 13 states including Alaska that offer higher minimum wages than the federal minimum wage.  We have attached a couple of links to help you take a closer look at your wages in comparison to other states. 

Fact Sheet on Fair Wage Act 2007 – http://www.vtlivablewage.org/Fact_Sheet-FEDMINWAGE.pdf

Overview of Minimum Wages – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_the_United_States

Salary Comparison – http://www.salary.com/

PayScale – http://www.payscale.com/

Cost of Living Calculator – http://www.bestplaces.net/COL/

We hope that this information is helpful and useful. 

In a recent news article published by Business Week from the Bloomberg website on January 09, 2010, it talked primarily about the current unemployment rate and discouraged workers.  It was noted that the current unemployment rate was actually higher than the official published numbers. 

This article actually brought up a great point.  The point was about discouraged workers and how the number has been increasing to 929,000 last month.  This number is the highest since 1994.  So as I continued to read the article it discussed how many unemployed workers felt disillusioned with the possibility of finding employment.   This feeling is partially created by the length of time it is taking to find employment and the stress associated with on a monthly basis with employment. 

It was believed that things would change in 2010 due to the belief that the economy was changing and that it would become easier to find jobs.  While the economy is stabilizing, economist feel that the unemployment will continue at a rate of 10.5 over the next year which has kept the Federal Reserve at a stand still reflected in the near zero interest rates.

We suggest that you read the entire article on your own…

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-09/shrinking-u-s-labor-force-keeps-unemployment-rate-from-rising.html

Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in June 2009,
not seasonally adjusted

June peak

Industry                                                        Initial claims     Year                  Initial Claims                                          

Elementary and secondary schools …………..  28,751                 2009                 28,751
School and employee bus transportation ……     18,930              2007                 21,611
Food service contractors ………………….            12,113              2007                 14,527
Temporary help services (1) ……………….           8,567                2000                 13,815
Child day care services …………………..              7,911                2007                9,115
Construction machinery manufacturing ……        7,454                2009                7,454
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing      7,034                       1998                 7,608
Professional employer organizations (1) …..       5,303                2009                 5,303
Motion picture and video production ………..      3,578                2000                9,435
Aircraft manufacturing ……………………              3,365                2009                 3,365

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending
September 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Both components of compensation–wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation) and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation)–increased the same amount, 0.4 percent.

Civilian Worker Data
Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.5 percent for the 12-month period ending September 2009. This
was smaller than the 2.9 percent increase for the 12-month period ending in September 2008. Wages and salaries increased

1.5 percent for the current 12-month period, slowing from a 3.1 percent increase for the 12-month period ending in
September 2008. Benefit costs rose 1.6 percent, down from a 2.6 percent increase for the 12-month period ending September
2008.

Private Industry Worker Data
Compensation costs, wages and salaries, and benefit costs decelerated for private industry workers for the 12-month
period ending September 2009, registering the smallest increases since each series began, but the differences were not
statistically different from last quarter.  Compensation costs increased 1.2 percent, the smallest percent change published since the series began in 1980. The wage and salary series, which began in 1975, increased 1.4 percent for the current 12-month period.  The cost of benefits, which have been measured since 1980, increased 1.1 percent for the 12-month period ending September 2009. Employer costs for health benefits increased 4.7 percent for the 12-month period ending September 2009. In September 2008, the 12-month percent change was 3.9 percent.

Among occupational groups, compensation cost increases for private industry workers for the 12-month period ending
September 2009 ranged from 0.8 percent for sales and office workers to 2.1 percent for service occupations.

Among industries, compensation cost increases for private industry workers for the current 12-month period ranged
from 0.7 percent for information to 2.1 percent for education and health services.

The Employment Cost Index for December 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 29, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. (EST).

Transmission of material in this release is embargoed until                           USDL-09-1303
8:30 a.m. (EDT) Friday, October 30, 2009

Technical information:
(202) 691-6199 

NCSinfo@bls.gov  

http://www.bls.gov/ect

Media contact:
(202) 691-5902 

PressOffice@bls.gov

The U.S. Small Business Administration said Wednesday it launched its own channel at video sharing site YouTube to broaden its audience promoting the agency’s programs.

SBA is using the channel, online at www.youtube.com/sba, to post informational videos, starting with an overview of programs and services available to help small-business owners growing their companies.. The channel also features a 10-part “Delivering Success” series, which was co-produced with the U.S. Postal Service.

SBA said it plans to produce more in-depth videos about its programs to assist entrepreneurs, including government contracting, taking advantage of loan programs and counseling.

E-mail João-Pierre Ruth at jpruth@njbiz.com

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said Wednesday that private-sector companies in New Jersey added 13,000 jobs in July, breaking 17 months of consecutive job cuts that stretch back to January 2008. While the private sector added employees, 7,100 public-sector jobs were cut in July as the state’s unemployment rate rose to 9.3 percent, up from 9.2 percent in June. Economists familiar with New Jersey employment numbers encouraged caution, indicating that the recession has employment numbers — considered a lagging indicator of a recovery — in flux. Pat O’Keefe, chief economist for J.H. Cohn, in Roseland, called July’s numbers “a pleasant surprise.” He closely tracks the state’s weekly unemployment claims, which he said show layoffs slowed over the past couple of months, “and today’s data suggests there may even be some hiring going on.” But O’Keefe warned “we have to be careful not to draw sweeping conclusions out of one month’s data.” He said until there are a couple of months of confirmation, he can’t say whether July’s numbers represent an upward trend. According to preliminary estimates by the state agency, industry sectors reporting job growth in July included leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, construction, and professional and business services. Leading the areas recording losses was the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which eliminated 4,500 jobs for the month. The financial activities and education and health services sectors lost 600 and 500 jobs, respectively. A detailed breakdown of the job gains and losses in the state for July can be found in a report posted on the agency’s Web site. Each month’s employment report is compiled through a telephone survey of Garden State companies, and provides only an estimate of employment numbers. The actual figures are adjusted annually following a more complete survey. Joel Naroff, founder and president of Naroff Economic Advisors, said he was surprised by the July employment jump, but said job numbers are volatile right now because the recession is ending; employment numbers could jump around over the next few months. “You can’t just take one month — I’d like to see a trend,” he said. “When the economy turns, the data are never consistent — you can be up big one month and down the next.” But Naroff said the national economy is turning up, and New Jersey appears to be following the national trend. “It would certainly be welcome news,” Rutgers University economist Jim Hughes said. “Let’s hope it’s not revised down in February.”

By Beth Fitzgerald and João-Pierre Ruth

E-mail to editorial@njbiz.com

Lou Dobbs, take note: immigrants are good for our economy. The most skilled create jobs in technology and engineering, says Duke professor Vivek Wadhwa, who estimates that in 2005 immigrant-founded engineering and tech companies employed 450,000 people and generated $52 billion in sales. But even the least skilled more than repay their costs in schools and health care. Two highly respected Australian economists, Maureen Rimmer and Peter Dixon, studied the issue for the libertarian Cato Institute. “The net impact on U.S. households from tighter border enforcement is unambiguously negative,” they found, because even low-skilled immigrants expand the economic pie and create jobs farther up the ladder. Cato’s Dan Griswold says the study shows a $250 billion difference between the most and least restrictive immigration policies.

The ACCION USA Microfinance Council hosts an engaging discussion on the challenges faced by domestic microfinance providers and how they will move forward. Distinguished panelists included: Gina Harman, President and CEO of ACCION USA; Lisa Servon, Dean of the New School for Management and Urban Policy; and Jonathan Morduch, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at NYU and Managing Director of the Financial Access Initiative.

ACCION USA Domestic Microfinance Panel, 7/27/09 from Erica Dorn on Vimeo.