Employment

U.S. workforce could use some German engineering

16 Mar 2017

Donald Trump wants to bring back manufacturing jobs despite a lack of skilled labor. Executives advising the president point to the success of European apprenticeships. There are educational and cultural challenges in America, but it's a good time for more radical training ideas.

Payroll bump a fair wind for Trump economic agenda

10 Mar 2017

Employers added a healthy 235,000 jobs in February. Wages and participation also improved. Combined with buoyant investor confidence, the first payroll report of the Trump era gives the president momentum to push his ambitious fiscal plans - if he can focus on essentials.

Draghi is tugged towards tricky end of ECB easing

9 Mar 2017

The European Central Bank boss sees less need for more stimulus. It’s hard to say otherwise when inflation is on target and likely to stay near there. Yet Europe’s fragile economy makes ending asset purchases a treacherous task that he will want to postpone as long as possible.

Britain’s tax raid on gig economy misses the mark

9 Mar 2017

The UK budget means the self-employed will hand over more of their income. That eases one problem – the fact that gig workers pay lower national insurance rates. But it leaves intact a bigger issue, the difficulty of taxing contractors that drive the gig economy.

U.S. immigration crackdown bets the farm

22 Feb 2017

The new president is moving hastily to deport more illegal workers as part of his America-centric policy. In the process of trying to protect industries like manufacturing, stricter rules will hit an agricultural sector already suffering from labor shortages and falling profit.

UK government wakes up to downside of gig economy

17 Feb 2017

Work created by the likes of Uber flatters Britain's unemployment rate. That was convenient to politicians after the financial crisis. The less palatable implications of a surging gig economy are now dawning on Westminster – a potential 3.5 billion pound gap in tax receipts.

Presidential orders can’t fix slow factory hiring

3 Feb 2017

The U.S. economy notched 227,000 jobs in January, Obama's final tally. Trump vows to rev up the pace, especially in manufacturing, but automation is limiting the growth of that line of work. The president's bully pulpit is of little use in the face of that long-term trend.

Cox: Trump’s labor secretary is more about capital

30 Jan 2017

Burger-joint entrepreneur Andrew Puzder, the nominee to run the U.S. Labor Department, co-wrote a 2010 book offering a turgid - if mercifully brief - manifesto on how to get people working. But Puzder's jobs may lack the qualities the government agency was created to champion.

Immigration ban hands U.S. firms dilemma

30 Jan 2017

Tech firms, Goldman, Starbucks and others may become political targets after criticizing a temporary White House block on citizens from seven mostly Muslim countries. But silence may alienate customers and future workers, especially among younger, digitally connected generations.

StanChart takes subtle spin in the revolving door

30 Jan 2017

New public affairs head Tracey McDermott is not the lender’s first supervisor-turned banker. Boss Bill Winters previously helped rewrite UK banking rules. While hiring former watchdogs is not ideal, the potential conflicts are less than they would be at a more UK-centric peer.

GM rolls Trump-friendly buzzword off factory floor

17 Jan 2017

The automaker recently harangued by the president-elect for building cars in Mexico is bragging about "insourcing" 6,500 jobs to America. CEO Mary Barra isn't the first to use the term, but is ahead of the curve as more firms try to curry favor with the next commander-in-chief.

Theresa May takes a Brexit big bath

17 Jan 2017

New company bosses often take major writedowns to give themselves a fresh start and flatter future earnings. In saying Britain could walk away from the EU’s single market, the prime minister is on the same page. Investors can now use the clean-break scenario as their base case.

Amazon repackages order for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

12 Jan 2017

The man moving in wants delivery of jobs and the e-commerce titan says it can supply 100,000 of them by mid-2018. That sounds impressive, but also tracks Amazon's workforce growth of late. It's just the sort of box with a bow, however, that seems to satisfy the intended recipient.

Germany raises bar in fight for equal pay

12 Jan 2017

A new law will force companies to tell female employees how much their male equivalents earn. Companies complain it’s clumsy and costly. But they only have themselves to blame: despite anti-discrimination rules and voluntary pledges, the gender pay gap is still unacceptably wide.

Ma’s job offer to Trump is no Chinese peace pipe

11 Jan 2017

Alibaba founder Jack Ma met with the U.S. president-elect and pledged to create 1 mln jobs. Trump, well-pleased with this tribute, says he and the Chinese e-commerce tycoon will do "great things" together. There is less to both statements than meets the eye.

Obama leaves Trump with a tough job on jobs

6 Jan 2017

Creating nearly 16 mln new positions since the post-crisis nadir is pretty good. So is an unemployment rate under 5 pct. Not all labor indicators are so positive, but wages may finally be on the march. The new president's bold plans could clash with late-cycle economic realities.

Germany’s thriving job market no solace for Merkel

3 Jan 2017

Unemployment has fallen to its lowest since 1981, and the number of people in jobs is at a record. Chancellor Angela Merkel presided over this happy state but will struggle to leverage it in upcoming elections. Voters are more focused on less predictable flows of migrants.

Fund manager pay will be next to feel the squeeze

22 Dec 2016

Low returns, lacklustre performance and the growth of cheaper index-tracking funds are squeezing fees. That in turn means lower revenue and margins. To placate shareholders, asset managers will have to follow the example set by investment banks – and pay their people less.

Globalization backlash misses real danger: robots

20 Dec 2016

Voters are rewarding nativist politicians. But campaign promises to bring back manufacturing jobs will fail to deliver. That's because the bogeyman is automation, not open borders. Fighting past wars will render governments flat-footed in tackling current challenges.

Trump’s AC activism more hot air than cold jobs

1 Dec 2016

The president-elect is touting a deal to keep over 1,000 jobs at heating and aircon maker Carrier in Indiana, after blasting a planned move to Mexico during his campaign. It's a partial win that cost a state subsidy. Trump will milk the PR, but as policy it won't easily scale.