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Are Americans the rightful owners of hi-tech jobs? (Saturday, 1/31/04)
Wired magazine examines some of the consequences of globalization for a growing affluent professional class in India.

Mexican government joins effort to persuade the American Congress (Saturday, 1/31/04)
According to Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez, the Mexican government intends to ally itself with Mexicans in the U.S. in order to lobby Congress to offer visas for guest workers' families.

Slavery's long dark shadow (Saturday, 1/31/04)
In some parts of the world, some families have been rich and influential for centuries, with generation after generation "born on third base." Even in the United States, where social class boundaries traditionally have been more permeable, it helps to be born into a family that has been privileged for generations. Similarly, families tend to pass their problems and handicaps from one generation to another, giving each generation something more to overcome than if it had simply been able to start at zero.

So, what if your ancestors not so many years ago were legally compelled to pretend they were somebody else's property? And, what if some of the privileged with whom you have to compete are well off, in part, because their ancestors benefited from humanity's most primitive institution and have passed on those benefits?

Stacy Teicher reports on the controversy over the City of Chicago's decision to allow only those companies which never benefited from slavery to do business with the city.

Are people who have received military training "learned professionals?" (Saturday, 1/31/04)
Kirstin Downey reports that some corporations would like to interpret the new rules so as to exempt persons with military training from overtime pay.

The difference a hundred bucks a month can make (Saturday, 1/31/04)
Robert Brokamp tells how your retirement can be different if you'll simply save an additional $100 per month and let the accumulation grow.

When it's time to go (Saturday, 1/31/04)
Debra Turpin knew exactly when it was time for her to sell what she had built and live the life of a post-entrepreneur. She shares her thoughts on preparing for post-entrepreneurial life in USA Today.

Best reasons for taking sick days (Saturday, 1/31/04)
Accountemps has surveyed executives who have heard them all. Among the reasons people have given for not being able to make it in for work are having to sing in an opera and having to go to jail.

In Houston, people have been having a hard time keeping their minds on their work, even when they show up, because of a football game scheduled for tomorrow. Here's more from L. M. Sixel of the Houston Chronicle.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Agent-Based Computational Economics (Saturday, 1/31/04)
Professor Leigh Tesfatsion of Iowa State University is interested in evolving economic systems that seem to be capable of learning. His Agent-Based Computational Economics site involves the intersection of evolutionary economics, cognitive science, and computer science.

Fourth quarter GDP growth at 4 percent (Friday, 1/30/04)
Compared to the 8.2 percent annualized third-quarter rate, 4 percent growth during the final quarter of 2003 may seem slow, but it's still respectable and taken by experts as another sign that the American economy was hitting on most of its cylinders at the end of the year. Jeannine Aversa has more from Washington.

Record number to exhaust their jobless benefits (Friday, 1/30/04)
A new analysis of Labor Department data from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities concludes that nearly 2 million Americans are about the run out of unemployment benefits. Here's more from Leigh Strope in Washington.

Wages and benefits have a limp quarter (Friday, 1/30/04)
Worker wages and benefits increased by 0.7 percent during the fourth quarter of 2003, which was the smallest increase in a year.

Bush hits New Hampshire (Friday, 1/30/04)
After Democratic campaigners have moved on to South Carolina, Missouri, and elsewhere, President Bush has been defending his economic record and raising money in New Hampshire. Here's more from Jennifer Loven in Merrimack.

Church leaders join in grocery conflict (Friday, 1/30/04)
About 100 religious leaders and grocery workers marched Wednesday at the San Francisco-area home of Safeway's Chief Executive asking for a "fair contract." The strike and lockout affects 70,000 Southern California grocery workers and has been going on for more than three months.

House Republicans attempt to resuscitate bankruptcy reform effort (Friday, 1/30/04)
House Republicans want Senate Democrats to accept their version of a bankruptcy reform legislation by combining two bills. Here's more from Jesse Holland in Washington.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Victorian Economics (Friday, 1/30/04)
Many nations which were part of Britain's colonial empire have a special reason for being interested in the economics of that long 19th century period during which Victoria was Queen. Here's Victorian economics from the National University of Singapore.

The new Bush Budget (Thursday, 1/29/04)
Alan Fram reports from Washington that the Bush administration is prepared to release its 2005 budget. According to Mr. Fram, the President's new budget projects that the new changes to Medicare will cost a third more than originally estimated.

Pension relief (Thursday, 1/29/04)
The United States Senate passed a bill yesterday that would reduce the payments companies have to make to their pension plans by $96 billion.

Fed holds steady, but drops hints (Thursday, 1/29/04)
The Federal Reserve has left the federal funds rate at its lowest level since half way through the second Eisenhower administration, but hinted that interest rate increases could come a bit later.

Anti-Slavery Inspectors Killed (Thursday, 1/29/04)
Four officials from the Brazilian Labor Ministry were ambused and killed yesterday. It is suspected that the killings are related to the discovery of slavery near Brasilia.

Growth softened in December (Thursday, 1/29/04)
New data from the Commerce Department shows that the American economy got a bit softer in December compared to the previous month. Also, Anna Willard and Kevin Plumberg report mixed signals from the U.S. job market.

The return of Cuba's entrepreneurs (Thursday, 1/29/04)
Unlike the U.S., professionals are at the bottom of Cuba's economic ladder. However, there are people who are doing quite well, and this Business Week opinion piece discusses some of them.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Cuba's Economy (Thursday, 1/29/04)
Here are some sources of information on Cuba's economy from the Canadian Foundation for the Americas.

Kraft will cut thousands of jobs (Wednesday, 1/28/04)
Kraft Foods plans to close 20 plants and cut 6,000 workers, according to Dave Carpenter in Chicago. James Prichard also reports from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where nearby Steelcase, Inc. also plans to close plants and eliminate jobs. If you've seen any of those familiar gray metal desks which have been ubiquitous in offices for generations, you've probably seen Steelcase products. The office furniture giant has been having a rough time lately, though.

How to keep up without more employees (Wednesday, 1/28/04)
Contract workers are plentiful and available via the Internet, according to many employers. It's why, despite growing workloads, many aren't having to hire new employees at the moment. Also, presumably, when companies put out bids and find independent contractors on the Internet, they are unlikely to be accused of trying to evade taxes by calling people "independent contractors" who are really employees, because respondents who get the work are likely to be real contractors.

Contrdictory testimony in that IBM trial (Wednesday, 1/28/04)
IBM is being sued by people claiming they were exposed to toxic chemicals that cause cancer, and the trial is going on now. Here are more details on contradictory testimony from Therese Poletti of the San Jose Mercury News.

Biotech creates jobs in Houston (Wednesday, 1/28/04)
Darrin Schlegel of the Houston Chronicle reports that the region's biotechnology industry is spending more on R&D and creating new jobs.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Biotechnology Information Directory (Wednesday, 1/28/04)
The Biotechnology Information Directory is a service of the World Wide Web Virtual Library and offers access to thousands of research institutes, universities, companies and other sources of information on biotechnology and related fields.

Optimistic (working) consumers (Tuesday, 1/27/04)
A new report from the Conference Board finds that American consumers are confident , but jobs are still hard to get.

Repeat that, please (Tuesday, 1/27/04)
Fed Head Alan Greenspan believes that history will repeat itself, but laid-off manufacturing workers will have to retrain in order to prepare for new jobs.

Would you consider relocating internationally and accepting a lot less money? (Tuesday, 1/27/04)
Surprise! If you started college with a technical major when the big tech boom was still going on, you may be about to graduate now, and, as you may have noticed, the U.S. job market has changed. For one thing, you will have to compete with a lot of other new tech graduates as well as with the large number of technically-skilled people who have been laid off while you've been in school. To make matters worse, the job you'd really like may be moving to India.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Exploring Careers (Tuesday, 1/27/04)
Exploring Careers from the State University of New York offers career suggestions for liberal arts majors for both traditional and non-traditional students.

India's opposition to the proposed U.S. tourniquet (Monday, 1/26/04)
A bill has been moving through Congress, which, if signed by President Bush, would attempt to stop the outsourcing of U.S. jobs. India's tech industry says such a policy would be inconsistent with free trade.

Strikers struggle in California (Monday, 1/26/04)
The grocery strike in Southern California has been affecting 70,000 workers for nearly three months, and it may be running out of gas. Here's more from Alex Veiga in Los Angeles.

Record home sales in 2003 (Monday, 1/26/04)
The sale of existing homes set a record last year.

Recovery in the new economy (Monday, 1/26/04)
Under new conditions, old assumptions and expectations may be obsolete. For instance, the Federal Reserve seems to think that the current recovery is fundamentally different from the ones with which we have been familiar previously, so, different policies are indicated. Edmund Andrews says that during the period of high growth that seems to be coming, cheap money may continue to be available.

Renewed optimism among America's wealthy (Monday, 1/26/04)
The rich are looking upon the U.S. economy with more optimism now, according to a new survey. Here's more from Forbes magazine's Pedro Nicolaci da Costa in New York.

Shrinking can be painful (Monday, 1/26/04)
During recessions, economies get smaller, and that hurts, because a certain amount of expansion is necessary just to keep many things the same. An economy is like an airplane that has to keep on going or it will lose altitude. It can't stand still. Similarly, there are stresses and strains when a nation's population gets smaller. Japan is going through some of this right now, as its population ages and the number of new people coming into its workforce declines. For instance, it's going to be harder to keep up with pensions from now on, according to Hiroshi Suzuki, a professor of regional planning in Japan.

Okay, you're in charge, so, now, build your own highway (Monday, 1/26/04)
Popular American ideology at the moment assumes that individuals want more choices, more ability to retain and spend their own money, and more power to do what they want in most areas of life. But, what do each of us want, and how easy is it to tell, and how easy is it to do what we want to do? It may be that some things are better, more efficiently, and more effectively done collectively with a division of labor that can include the help and leadership of people who really know what they're doing in each specialized area.

Michelle Andrews of the New York Times suggests that being in full charge of your own health care decisions can be, well, sickening.

Growing inequality? It's not necessarily so (Monday, 1/26/04)
Has salary inequality been increasing in the United States during recent years? Many people believe so, but maybe many people are wrong. David Leonhardt of the New York Times discusses the new book by Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress Paradox.

Why students are in college (Monday, 1/26/04)
To better understand themselves and their world? To explore or clarify their values? To get the most and best out of themselves and enrich the lives of others? No, most want to make a good living, according to an annual survey that has been conducted for 38 years. Here's more from today's Miami Herald.

Workplace Babel (Monday, 1/26/04)
It is said that more than 60 languages are spoken in the Minneapolis school district. What happens when bilingualism becomes multilingualism in the workplace? The Christian Science Monitor's Stacy Teicher has been looking into the issue.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: United States Conference of Mayors (Monday, 1/26/04)
The United States Conference of Mayors has enabled mayors of cities of at least 30,000 population to work together on issues of common interest since 1932. The organization's web site provides access to webcasts of annual conferences over the past four years.

No "irrational exuberance" at Davos (Sunday, 1/25/04)
Optimism is contained at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland because of threats to global economic growth.

Why aren't wages rising faster? (Sunday, 1/25/04)
Profits are up, but wages aren't; at least, not much. Why? It's basic economics. Employers don't pay workers more because they "can afford to." It's all a matter of supply and demand. First, higher productivity means that more work is getting done with fewer people, and the supply of workers at the moment greatly exceeds demand, which keeps a lid on the cost of labor. Here's more from Charles Stein of the Boston Globe.

Hollywood unions want to get real (Sunday, 1/25/04)
One reason the so-called "reality shows" on television are popular with the networks is because they're popular with viewers, but they're also inexpensive to produce. And, one reason for that is that far less union labor is required. The unions are trying to do something about that.

Zero down? (Sunday, 1/25/04)
If approved by the Congress, new FHA policy could enable you to make your first home purchase without having to make a down payment. Here's more from Kenneth Harney of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Part of the economics of baseball (Sunday, 1/25/04)
American millionaire baseball players do their work with balls that are manufactured in Costa Rica by people who make somewhat less than the players. In fact, it seems to be a matter of the average difference between about $2,750 per year and $2,377,000 per year. Here's more from Tim Weiner in Turrialba.

Your money is creating jobs in the D.C. area (Sunday, 1/25/04)
Government spending is leading to increases in the number of construction jobs in the District of Columbia region. However, the Washington Post's Neil Irwin reports that hiring is slow and uneven.

Why go digital? (Sunday, 1/25/04)
A digital revolution certainly seems to be underway in the U.S. and elsewhere. However, digital isn't always better, according to this Business Week writer.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Archive for the History of Economic Thought (Sunday, 1/25/04)
Hamilton, Ontario's McMaster University maintains an online Archive for the History of Economic Thought.

More new jobs might help one American keep his job (Saturday, 1/24/04)
It's unlikely that President Bush expected that he would have to run for re-election following the loss of millions of jobs during his administration plus continuing problems with job creation once the economy resumed strong growth. Not to worry, though. The jobs are coming, but, then again, maybe not.

The "Thrifty Acres" people are cutting jobs (Saturday, 1/24/04)
Michigan-based Meijer, Inc., which started the "Thrifty Acres" discount stores more than thirty years ago, now operates more than 150 stores in several Midwestern states. However, reorganization is needed, and that means job cuts. The company plans to slice 1,900 management positions.

Job creation improves in Houston (Saturday, 1/24/04)
L. M. Sixel reports that it may be worth your effort to begin looking for a job again in Texas' largest city.

Wal-Mart attempts to change its public image (Saturday, 1/24/04)
To many people, Wal-Mart is a terrible place to work, so the company is trying to convince the public that it's a great place to work. Here's more from Greg Schneider of the Washington Post.

Where can American companies find cheaper labor than in Cambodia? (Saturday, 1/24/04)
China, that's where, and Cambodian clothing manufacturers fear the onset of 2005 when free-wheeling competition opens up. Here's more from James Brooke in Phnom Penh.

If you like irony, learn more about contemporary China. On the one hand, the world's most populous country contains vast multitudes of people for whom a dollar is two day's pay, when they can get it. Lousy jobs under lousy work conditions are very attractive to many of these people, and it's difficult for poor workers in places such as Mexico--and Cambodia--to compete with the Chinese.

On the other hand, China's economy has been the fastest-growing in the world for several years now, and has been a major topic of conversation at Davos during recent days. For instance, if you visit Shanghai, you will see many people driving very expensive automobiles on new freeways while talking on their cell phones with the futuristic Shanghai skyline in view. It is said that 3,000 skyscrapers have been built during the past eight or nine years, and, while we don't know if that's true or not, nothing in your experience from a visit to Shanghai would cause you to doubt it.

Speaking of cars, auto sales in China increased by more than 34 percent last year, with more than 365,000 of them sold during each month of the year. The country is expected to contain more than 156 million automobiles by 2020. China is now the world's third-largest auto PRODUCER behind the U.S. and Japan. Germany is no longer among the big three.

Has President Bush's plan to return to the moon been influenced by the fact that China is now in space? Does the sun first appear in the east in the morning? Are there any beer trucks in Germany?

Incidentally, China contains approximately one-quarter of the earth's people, while the United States has slightly fewer than five percent.

Welcome to the new economy, and keep your eye on China, which, clearly, it seems, intends (again) to be the most advanced and dominant society on earth before the end of the 21st century.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Nanodot (Saturday, 1/24/04)
Economic dominance later in the century may belong to whichever country manages to lead in nanotechnology. Nanodot can help you prepare and keep informed. It comes from the Foresight Institute.

Senate agreement on pensions (Friday, 1/23/04)
What many companies see as relief, others may see as something else. Nonetheless, Albert Crenshaw reports on the agreement that was reached yesterday in the U.S. Senate on a bill that would change the formula by which traditional pension-fund obligations are calculated.

UK economic growth picks up (Friday, 1/23/04)
The last quarter of last year was a good one for the British economy, which grew at its most rapid rate in nearly four years.

New overtime rules (Friday, 1/23/04)
Efforts in Congress to block changes in the criteria by which workers qualify for overtime failed, so the Department of Labor plans to issue new regulations over the months ahead. Here's more from Stephanie Armour of USA Today.

NBER considers new starting date for the last recession (Friday, 1/23/04)
The National Bureau of Economic Research may declare that the last recession began during the last few months of 2000, but Nell Henderson reports that opinion isn't unanimous on the panel.

Job creation improves in Arizona (Friday, 1/23/04)
The Arizona Republic's Jonathan Higuera tells why economists are cautiously optimistic about the state's job growth this year.

Artful dodging in Michigan (Friday, 1/23/04)
Tom Walsh of the Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Growth has created a team to investigate "SUTA dumping" which results in the evasion of as much as $50 to $100 million in employment taxes.

If you've been waiting for health care reform, you may have to wait a bit longer (Friday, 1/23/04)
The American health care systems appears to be broken. Who can fix it, and how long will it be before somebody does something? The best guess seems to be that it's going to be quite a while, and USA Today examines the reasons why.

Too many choices? (Friday, 1/23/04)
Over the past year or so, we've discussed the increasing burden that many workers have been feeling as layers of protection previously provided by both employers and unions have been stripped away, leaving the individual more and more on his/her own with respect to health care choices, pensions, and so on. The array of options seems to be increasing in many areas of American life. One television program recently reported on the sixty or so decisions that many people have to make now simply in order to buy a cell phone. Somewhere in all this complexity may be the one that is exactly right for you, but finding it may not be quite enough fun.

Psychologist Barry Schwartz has a new book, The Paradox of Choice: Why Less Is More and discusses some of his ideas in a New York Times opinion article. For instance, he reports on research that seems to be finding that college graduates tend to become less satisfied with the job-search process as the number of job possibilities increases.

A new population bomb (Friday, 1/23/04)
In this case, it's a time bomb, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. The rich industrial democracies are experiencing aging populations and slower labor-force growth, and the long-term implications may be profound. Here's more from Business Week. However, at the WEF meeting at Davos, Switzerland, there appears to be more optimism about the global economy's more immediate prospects because of the revving U.S. engine.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Millionaire Maker (Friday, 1/23/04)
A million dollars isn't what it used to be, but many people would like to be millionaires anyway. USA Today's Millionaire Maker can help you calculate what it will take.

Shaky ground (Thursday, 1/22/04)
Eastman Kodak is in the uncomfortable position of having been a long-time leader in an industry dominated by an increasingly obsolete technology. As during a major earthquake, what so long seemed rock solid is now turning to wobbly gelatin under its feet.

Nicephore Niepce is credited with producing the first photograph in the late 1820s, and the technology became sufficiently mature in time to give us a portrait of an aging Dolly Madison, wife of one of America's founders. Photography has been chemically-based over all the long years since--until very recently.

However, 2003 was the first year during which more digital cameras were sold than conventional cameras. Photography is rapidly shifting from chemistry to electronics for the first time in more than a century and a half. As a consequence, Kodak is finding itself competing, not just with similar companies such as Fujifilm, but also with companies such as consumer electronics giant Sony and the world's largest seller of personal computers, Dell, both of whom probably have a head start.

Eastman Kodak is becoming a smaller company. They've announced plans to lay off nearly a quarter of their workforce worldwide. Here's more from Franklin Paul in New York.

Surprise: some like the President's jobs plan, some don't (Thursday, 1/22/04)
One of the world's most easily predictable things is that opinions will vary on virtually any political issue, and they are likely to vary in highly predictable ways. Such is the case with interpretations of the President Bush's plans for pumping $250 million into American community colleges to train workers for the new economy. Randy Furst of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has been examining responses to the State of the Union address in Minnesota and elsewhere. Also, the Detroit Free Press' business writer, Jeffrey McCracken, is in Ohio where the President has been making his case.

Leading Indicators up in December (Thursday, 1/22/04)
The Conference Board's widely-watched Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.2 percent last month. The Index has a reputation for being able to do a fairly good job of forecasting economic activity several months ahead.

First-time jobless claims down last week (Thursday, 1/22/04)
For the second week in a row, first-time claims for jobless benefits fell last week, surprising many forecasters. Here's more from Nancy Waitz in Washington.

Quandry in Japan (Thursday, 1/22/04)
Business, union, and government leaders have trying to sort out retirement issues in Japan, and, as Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun reports, workers approaching retirement are feeling uncertain about their financial security during their later years.

Levi attempts to help laid-off workers (Thursday, 1/22/04)
Levi Strauss doesn't manufacture its garments in the United States anymore. After closing its last domestic plant, the company has opened a center intended to help laid-off employees find other work.

Ambivalence about spreading consumerism (Thursday, 1/22/04)
On an earth already gasping, it may be unrealistic to assume that the two-thirds or more of the world's people who are poor can ever be brought up to the living standards of the 1 billion of so privileged persons in the rich parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and Japan. Is that a bad thing? The Christian Science Monitor's Brad Knickerbocker examines the question of whether advancing consumerism is really to the world's advantage. Incidentally, in the United States, the average floor space of American homes has more than doubled during the last half century. Are Americans enjoying a greater quality of life as a consequence? Is the world?

Is immigration good for the American economy? (Thursday, 1/22/04)
Well, yes and no, depending on whom you ask. Some officials, such as Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and the President of the United States are concerned that the American economy will have a shortage of workers in a few years, which could hold back growth and limit prosperity, as seems to be the case in Western Europe and Japan. Here's more from Sue Kirchhoff and Barbara Hagenbaugh of USA Today.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: International Food Information Council Foundation (Thursday, 1/22/04)
The International Food Information Council Foundation intends to "bridge the gap between science and communications" for the benefit of opinion leaders and consumers.

Where are the jobs? (Wednesday, 1/21/04)
Business Week says that the future of the U.S. labor market is the most important economic debate at the moment. However, David Leonhardt of the New York Times says that the job market may be improving faster than many people realize.

AFL-CIO to turn up the heat in grocery strike (Wednesday, 1/21/04)
National strategy will be under the direction of the AFL-CIO as the big labor confederation attempts to increase pressure on supermarket executives to settle the lengthy strike and lockout that has affected grocery workers in California and elsewhere.

Many Houston homeowners may see major premium increases (Wednesday, 1/21/04)
Houston's homeowners insurer of last resort is asking for a premium increase which could be as great 22.1 percent for some. Purva Patel of the Houston Chronicle has more.

Minnesota's unemployment rate increases (Wednesday, 1/21/04)
The unemployment rate in Minnesota hit a ten-year high in December, increasing to 4.7 percent compared to 4.6 percent during several previous months. However, the state also added jobs for the fourth time in six months. Many other areas of the country would like to have Minnesota's employment problems rather than their own, however. For instance, Oregon's unemployment rate was 8.5 percent last June, and, even though it has been declining during recent months, was still 7.2 percent in December.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: College Tuition Planner (Wednesday, 1/21/04)
USA Today's College Tuition Planner can help you determine how much you have to save.

Job cuts in France (Tuesday, 1/20/04)
France Telecom intends to slice 14,500 jobs from its payroll next year. Here's more from Paris.

The world's hottest economy gets hotter (Tuesday, 1/20/04)
China's GDP continues to expand, and at an accelerating rate. Scott Hillis reports from Beijing about growing worries that China's economy may overheat this year.

Germany's investors lose a little confidence (Tuesday, 1/20/04)
A widely-watched index finds that confidence has slipped a bit because of the swelling euro, but analysts still expect Europe's largest economy to recover significantly this year.

Mood lifts a bit at tech companies (Tuesday, 1/20/04)
Finally, the tech sector seems to be on an upswing. Dean Takahashi of the San Jose Mercury News says the tech sector seems to be gathering a bit of momentum now that corporate computer spending begins to pick up. Also, for those such as ourselves who have been suspecting that Silicon Valley may never again be what it once was, in part because of overseas outsourcing, here's reason to doubt: The great American hi-tech corridor may once again reinvent itself with biotech.

The return of the 529s (Tuesday, 1/20/04)
Initial enthusiasm for college savings 529 accounts was dampened considerably by the bear market and mutual fund scandal. But, as Sandra Block reports, the 529s are making a comeback.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: University and Community Research Partnerships: A New Approach (Tuesday, 1/20/04)
Given the increased popularity of partnerships between higher education institutions and community-based organizations, the Pew Partnership for Civic Change has studied such arrangements at 19 locations around the United States. Here's its report: University and Community Research Partnerships: A New Approach.

Job exportation issue dribbles into presidential campaign (Monday, 1/19/04)
We've been expecting the shipping of high-value American jobs overseas to become a major issue in the 2008 presidential campaign, but we may be hearing more about it between now and November. Rachel Konrad writes from San San Jose Mercury News that a backlash seems to be building, and some presidential candidates are noticing.

Government to pay HMOs more (Monday, 1/19/04)
Medicare HMOs are about to receive 10.6 percent more from the government.

The big shift to come (Monday, 1/19/04)
According to CareerBuilder.com, 40 percent of American workers will be looking for different jobs this year. Here's more from Boston Globe writers.

Drug testing is about to change (Monday, 1/19/04)
Millions of workers are likely to be screened differently following the government's plan to change its employee drug-testing program.

Japan and the European Union may suffer from the same future ailments (Monday, 1/19/04)
Both regions are undergoing aging populations and shrinking workforces. A new report from the World Economic Forum tells what the impact is expected to be on economic output.

The general problem of sticking with things (Monday, 1/19/04)
The most popular commercial diets at the moment are Atkins and South Beach, but there have been many others during past years, and, so long as authors and commercial organizations can help you reduce--your bank account--many more are likely to come over the years ahead. Actually, what it takes to lose weight isn't rocket science. The basic principles of weight loss or gain aren't poorly understood, and medical experts say that people will lose weight on any diet, if they stick to it. But that's the hard part. Getting out of debt is much the same, according to Shannon Buggs.

Coping with economic loss (Monday, 1/19/04)
Behavioral economics has become increasingly important in recent years. John Dorfman of Bloomberg News writes about findings from the latest Congress on Psychology and Investing in Boston.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: National Endowment for Financial Education (Monday, 1/19/04)
The National Endowment for Financial Education is a nonprofit foundation partners with other organizations in order to help Americans acquire information and skills for taking control of personal finances.

IBM to add jobs (Sunday, 1/18/04)
Earnings have been good, so IBM will create 15,000 new jobs, 4,500 of them in the United States.

No strike at nuclear power plant (Sunday, 1/18/04)
Jim Fitzgerald in New Rochelle, New York reports that tentative agreement has been reached with representatives of control room operators and others at Indian Point 3 nuclear power plant, thus averting a strike.

Bush's immigration plans gain business support (Sunday, 1/18/04)
The President's proposal for loosening immigration laws in order to enable people from other countries to take jobs in the United States pleases many employers who say they need them.

Keeping people out, or keeping people in? (Sunday, 1/18/04)
Wal-Mart's policy of locking overnight workers in the store can cause serious problems for individuals. The New York Times' Steven Greenhouse has more.

Global economy adds value to multilingualism (Sunday, 1/18/04)
The ability to function fluently in more than one language will be helpful to your career from now on in the new global economy. Here's more from Andrea Coombes of CBS MarketWatch.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: American Family Immigration History Center (Sunday, 1/18/04)
The Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Foundation present the American Family Immigration History Center on which you can search immigration records and more.

Additional good signs (Saturday, 1/17/04)
The University of Michigan's measure of consumer sentiment increased enough to surprise many economists, hitting its highest level in three years. Factory orders are strong too. Here's more from Peter Morton of Canada's Financial Post. A new Federal Reserve report paints a similar pretty picture of accelerating momentum.

Medicare issue costs AARP members (Saturday, 1/17/04)
Forty-five-thousand people have cancelled their memberships in AARP because of the organization's support of the new Medicare law that includes limited prescription medication benefits.

San Diego County's employment problems (Saturday, 1/17/04)
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego County' reflects national trends, in the sense that, while its unemployment rate has declined, few new jobs were created during 2003.

Big year for benefit cuts (Saturday, 1/17/04)
A survey of more than four-hundred large corporations finds that 10 percent cut retiree health benefits entirely during 2003, while more than two-thirds increased retiree contributions.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Foreign Central Banks (Saturday, 1/17/04)
The Board of Governors of America's central bank, the Federal Reserve, offer access to information about the central banks of more than a dozen other countries.

Bush tries to put Latin America back on U.S. maps (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
Kieran Murray reports from Monterry, where the American President has been meeting for two days with other regional heads of state, that Bush has learned, if he did not already know, that many of the area's political leaders don't like U.S. economic policies. The White House has been pushing for a Free Trade Area of the Americas, which leaders from many of the 34 countries represented at the summit have been resisting. In fact, the Bush administration would like to see it implemented by next year. Canada's Edmonton Sun reports that free-trade deal has been reached, in principle, but with no deadline set, so it could happen sometime during the next millennium. It almost certainly won't happen by 2005. Meanwhile Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan worries about creeping protectionism.

Opposition from unlikely sources? (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
Juliana Barbassa reports that some migrant workers in the U.S. oppose the Bush plan for giving undocumented workers temporary legal status. Meanwhile, many Latin American people working in the U.S. are trying to support their families by sending money back home.

SARS didn't permanently trip up the Chinese economy (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
China's economy grew at 8.5 percent in 2003, which was a six-year high. Should the industrialized world worry about competition from China? Should China worry about China? Here is analysis from Business Week.

How many American jobs are being shipped overseas? (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
Nobody really knows, and it's hard to get trustworthy numbers, says Marilyn Geewax in Washington. Whatever the actual numbers, though, there is growing reason to believe that the tide is rising. Here's more from Business Week.

If you've been waiting for increased fairness in taxation, you may have to wait a little longer (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
The New York Times' David Cay Johnston has a new book which you may want to read, so long as you have a large supply of aspirin. If you're already rich, you won't need the aspirin. Here's more about the subtly-titled Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich--and Cheat Everyone Else.

No time to spend a large income (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
Mark Rice-Oxley reports from London that an increasing number of Brits are choosing to get off the fast track. Meanwhile, the UK's unemployment rate last quarter fell to 4.9 percent, the lowest since records started in 1984.

Making a living without a job (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on people who are employed, but bored, and who want to learn how to work for themselves.

Among senior executives who do work for somebody else, most feel at least "somewhat" challenged, according to a survey of hundreds of business people in more than 50 countries.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Employment Projections (Wednesday, 1/14/04)
The Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor attempts to make labor market projections ten years ahead.

A couple of days in Monterrey (Tuesday, 1/13/04)
Deb Riechmann reports from the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico that, now that the U.S. and Mexico apparently have kissed and made up, President Bush is trying to mend relationships with other Latin American countries. Lisa Adams is at the Summit, as well, and reports that Bush's efforts to sell the benefits of free trade is meeting with skepticism. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle lists four unresolved issues as the meeting winds down.

More threats to American tech dominance? (Tuesday, 1/13/04)
The center of hi-tech gravity may be shifting westward. Not only does India now produce a million college graduates each year plus a tremendous number of highly-qualified engineers and other technical experts, all of which soaks up many high-value jobs from the U.S., China is becoming a stronger influence in the tech world as well. Here's more from the New York Times.

Audit finds widespread labor violations (Tuesday, 1/13/04)
An audit of Wal-Mart time-clock records uncovers thousands of apparent labor violations. More than 40 lawsuits have been brought against the company, alleging that workers have been forced to work through lunch and rest periods without pay.

Kaiser wants to cut benefit plans (Tuesday, 1/13/04)
Kaiser Aluminum Corporation has told a bankruptcy court that, in order to complete a successful restructuring of the company, it will have to be relieved of costly benefits for retirees as well as its underfunded pension plans.

You may want to ask if your doctor is in the early hours of his/her shift (Tuesday, 1/13/04)
Most people aren't interested in taking their ailments to a physician who is half-asleep. At Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital, the rules have been changed so that medical residents aren't supposed to be working shifts longer than 30 hours.

No, you need not make an appointment with an optometrist; you read right, and that's an improvement over what it used to be. It seems to call into question the persistent rumor that the medical profession is filled with smart people. Why would any non-delusional person think it's a good thing to have physicians working such tremendously long shifts when the well-being of patients is at stake? Even truck drivers are required to get off the road more frequently and get some rest.

Jason Straziuso reports on young Dr. Troy Madsen's near-fatal error at what is ostensibly one of the world's greatest hospitals.

Moving workers need support (Tuesday, 1/13/04)
An increasing number of people are doing their work on laptops rather than permanently installed desktop computers. Antone Gonsalves of TechWeb News reports that corporations are having to make adjustments by adapting software and support to the needs of workers who don't stay in one place.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Wal-Mart Watch (Tuesday, 1/13/04)
Wal-Mart Watch obviously is unfriendly to the world's largest retailer and makes no effort to provide two sides to any arguments. Moreover, the site doesn't identify the people who are responsible for it. However, it does provide access to numerous news stories as well as information about various lawsuits brought against the company.

Rioting for jobs (Monday, 1/12/04)
Rioting by hundreds of people seeking jobs and food has elicited gunfire from soldiers in southern Iraq. Here's more from Nadia Abou El-Magd in Kut.

The ability to speak Spanish isn't enough (Monday, 1/12/04)
President Bush's popularity throughout Latin America has taken a big hit lately. Richard Boudreaux reports from Monterrey, Mexico where the American President is participating in a two-day summit.

Telecom is still hurting (Monday, 1/12/04)
Andrew Backover reports that the telecommunications industry is still cutting jobs and resisting pay raises.

Tyson workers reject offer (Monday, 1/12/04)
Hundreds of workers at a Tyson Foods plant have been on strike since last February, and have rejected the latest contract offer from the company.

Meanwhile, it's all done except the ratification at Mesaba where contract talks went on for almost three years. The new tentative agreement would bring pilot pay into alignment with that of pilots at other regional airlines.

Top officials believe that things really are looking up for the world's economy (Monday, 1/12/04)
Global growth has returned, according to central bankers from major industrial nations meeting in Basel, Switzerland.

Painting a picture by the numbers (Monday, 1/12/04)
The popular and most-watched numbers paint a distorted picture, according to the New York Times' Louis Uchitelle. More people are working than the numbers indicate, and more people are searching for work than the numbers indicate.

Is the Chinese economy on a precipice? (Monday, 1/12/04)
For sometime now, China's economy has been the fastest-growing in the world, but storm clouds have been gathering. What happens to the rest of Asia if the Chinese economy cools? Here's more from Business Week.

Self-congratulation may be premature (Monday, 1/12/04)
Alan Greenspan has served at Federal Reserve chairman for 16 years through both Republican and Democratic administrations. He's been defending his performance lately, but a commentary in Business Week suggests that it may be too early to declare victory.

Aging fighters (Monday, 1/12/04)
The Boston Globe's Linda Matchan reports that more people who think they are victims of age discrimination are doing something about it.

Caroline Humer reports that a retired career IBM worker has changed his mind about his company to some extent, given the increase in his share of health coverage costs. He intends to take his case to the Vermont courts.

Meanwhile, as Japan's population ages, companies are advised to consider retirees as a resource, not a burden.

Rich thieves (Monday, 1/12/04)
Russ Buettner writes from New York about the growing problem of tax evasion among the very-well-off who know all the schemes.

How to be smart about giving (Monday, 1/12/04)
Wanting to contribute to charities is a noble impulse, but there are many scam artists who want to take advantage of your generosity. Andrea Coombes of CBS Marketwatch has some suggestions for making sure that your money ends up where you intend.

Begin your own campaign (Monday, 1/12/04)
...To get a raise, that is. Eileen Alt Powell has some tips on how to go about it.

Is money really the root of all evil? (Monday, 1/12/04)
No, the original quote is that "the LOVE of money is the root of all evil." Money is a good thing. It's all in how we use it. In fact, EARNING money also is a good thing, and profit is the cost of capital and the cost of risk. Collecting profit is legitimate and necessary, not theft. Tene Wells says that women have to get over the idea that profit is evil if they want to become successful entrepreneurs.

Financial literacy for teens (Monday, 1/12/04)
Teenagers are being taught to be wise about money through a new program conducted by the Girls Scouts and the NASDAQ Educational Foundation, but this isn't the only such program. Here's more from Adam Parker in Roosevelt, New York.

Camera phones are increasingly unwelcome at work (Monday, 1/12/04)
Employers have privacy concerns, according to the USA Today's Stephanie Armour, but there's also concern that company secrets will be too easily carried out the door.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Climate Change (Monday, 1/12/04)
The World Bank's Environment Department maintains a climate change team in support of the Bank's participation in climate-change negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations.

Deal at Mesaba (Sunday, 1/11/04)
Pilots at Mesaba Airlines have reached tentative agreement on a new contract. Here's more from Renee Ruble in Minneapolis.

Surprise! (Sunday, 1/11/04)
Adam Geller reports that analysts are surprised at the dismal jobs creation data for December in which about as many new jobs were created in the entire country as one might hope for in, say, little Jamestown, North Dakota. The dismal jobs report has driven stocks down as well as the U.S. dollar against other major currencies. It's not a good time for Americans to become tourists in Europe, for instance, unless they want to spend a lot of money.

More on the I.T. offensive (Sunday, 1/11/04)
Erika Morphy reports on new efforts by information technology executives to explain their outsourcing efforts to the rest of the country.

Tech to cost animator jobs (Sunday, 1/11/04)
The huge success of "Finding Nemo," the latest feature film produced through the use of digital technology by Pixar for Disney, seems to have convinced executives at the Walt Disney Corporation that traditional methods of producing animation are quickly becoming obsolete. Disney plans to close its animation studio in Orlando, Florida, and as many as 260 animator jobs may be lost as a consequence.

Incidentally, Pixar is headed by Apple Computer cofounder and CEO Stephen Jobs. Pixar's contract with Disney will end soon, and Jobs has indicated that he will be seeking more favorable terms in a new contract, and will not rule out finding a different distributor for Pixar films. Translation: Pixar may be replacing Disney as the brand most families will associate with animated films.

Jobs also has become a leader in the online sale and distribution of music through Apple Computer products and services. Does anyone doubt that he plans to take the lead in the electronic distribution of feature films once broadband Internet connections become ubiquitous? Attention Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Steve may be preparing to destroy your businesses.

HMO success to determine success in Medicare reform (Sunday, 1/11/04)
Darrin Schlegel of the Houston Chronicle examines efforts to fix the Medicare system and finds that the "staying power" of private health plans will be a key factor. Meanwhile, Fred Brock has found a couple of holes in the new Medicare prescription medication law.

Would anyone in his/her right mind leave a job under present job market conditions? (Sunday, 1/11/04)
Yes, if the incentives are attractive enough. Here's more from Louis Uchitelle of the New York Times on companies that are offering to pay employees to leave and the workers who are accepting those offers.

Why many Iraqis are dark-skinned (Sunday, 1/11/04)
According to Theola Labbe in Basra, it has to do with a Middle Eastern slave trade that began more than a thousand years ago.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Current Cites (Sunday, 1/11/04)
Each month, Current Cites presents a dozen or so annotated citations of important literature in the field of information technology and is likely to be helpful to persons working in that area.

Job creation hits a wall (Saturday, 1/10/04)
The latest jobs data from the Labor Department haven't been met with a great deal of joy in the White House or elsewhere. The economy has to create about 150,000 new jobs per month simply in order to absorb demand created by population increases. Far more must be created in order to begin recovering the tremendous job losses that have occurred since the beginning of the Bush administration. The fact that the entire enormous American economy created only 1,000 new jobs in December--about what might be expected in a very small city--doesn't give anyone much to cheer about. True, the unemployment rate declined in December, but mostly because a lot of people gave up trying to find work, and when people aren't actively looking for jobs, magically, they are no longer unemployed. Instead, they are "not in the labor force." Unemployment data reflect only those persons who are actively engaged in a job search.

At any rate, the latest jobs data are casting new doubts on whether the U.S. economy really is heading into positive territory, as many indicators have been suggesting. The New York Times' Louis Uchitelle examines the collapse of job growth at the end of 2003, while the newspaper of record's Edmund Andrews looks at President Bush's need to find ways to create jobs quickly in order to turn job seekers into voters who want him to have a second term. The President's options are greatly limited at this increasingly late date.

Strike deadline allowed to pass (Saturday, 1/10/04)
Negotiators worked far into the night yesterday with the hope of averting a pilots' strike at Mesaba Airlines. Liz Fedor and Eric Wieffering have more in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The need to unshackle entrepreneurs (Saturday, 1/10/04)
A new report from the World Bank finds that people throughout much of the world who want to start and run their own businesses are faced with many obstacles, including much corruption and endless red tape. Here's more from David Hauck in Boston, Andrew Downie in Rio de Janeiro, Lucien Chauvin in Lima, Peru, and Fred Weir in Moscow.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Community Renewal Initiative (Saturday, 1/10/04)
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Communnity Renewal Initiative was begun in 1994 to assist in the establishment of new businesses and in the creation of jobs through the Empowerment Zone program and the Enterprise Communities program.

Unemployment rate drops to 5.7 percent (Friday, 1/9/04)
December's annualized unemployment rate was the lowest in more than a year, but mostly because a lot of people gave up looking for work and dropped out of the labor force, according to Labor Department criteria. Only 1,000 new jobs were added to the American economy, which amounts to an almost microscopic fraction of a drop in a bucket.

Strike deadline approaches at Mesaba (Friday, 1/9/04)
Pilots at Mesaba Airlines could walk off their jobs soon if contract agreement is not reached by tonight. More than eight-hundred pilots would be affected, but, as Mike Hughlett reports in the Detroit Free Press, the airline might not be seen as large enough by the White House to justify intervention.

U.S. tech dominance threatened (Friday, 1/9/04)
For many years, the United States has been the acknowledged world leader in technology innovation, but that could change, according to executives who are concerned about current policy as well as slumping K-12 student math and science performance.

Health care becomes a larger sector (Friday, 1/9/04)
Health care spending in the United States has reached an average of more than $5,000 per American as the health care sector becomes nearly 15 percent of the entire U.S. economy.

Immigrants line up for benefits, and the line has been getting longer (Friday, 1/9/04)
There has been an increasing backlog of immigrants waiting for decisions on their applications for benefits, according to a GAO study. Here's more from Suzanne Gamoa in Washington.

Suit settled on "dead-peasant" issue (Friday, 1/9/04)
Agreement has been reached between relatives of Wal-Mart employees and the company to settle a lawsuit brought over the big retailers policy of insuring the lives of workers without their knowledge and making the company the beneficiary. Here's more from L. M. Sixel in Houston.

Thinking ahead on retention (Friday, 1/9/04)
As the American economy gathers momentum, jobs are expected to become more numerous. Employers who would have no difficulty finding new workers now are thinking about a future in which the available labor pool could shrink considerably, so they're thinking about the future and retention.

Meanwhile, Edmund Andrews is in Rockford, Illinois examining the reasons for widespread joylessness among both workers and employers, despite numerous signs of economic improvement, including strong consumer confidence.

Free filing may entail special costs (Friday, 1/9/04)
If the Internal Revenue Service wants to discourage taxpayers from using their free online filing service, a good way might be to announce that it will be giving special attention to those who make use of it. Thomas Fogarty of USA Today has more on IRS intentions, their ostensible reasons for doing it, and the concerns that many people have.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Policy.com (Friday, 1/9/04)
Policy.com thinks of itself as the Internet's "most comprehensive public policy resource" having to do with a large number of policy issues relating to education, technology, healthcare, and more.

Tech companies urge Congress to leave job exportation issue alone (Thursday, 1/8/04)
For free-trade advocates, one of the unintended consequences of globalization may be the hemorrhaging of U.S. jobs. The sending of low-skill, low-pay jobs overseas is not new, but we were among the first to call attention to something that is relatively new: the increasing exportation of high-value jobs which may become a major political issue sooner than we expected, particularly during a presidential election year. There are stirrings in Washington among people who would like to see trade barriers constructed to keep U.S. jobs at home. However, several technology companies are urging Congress and the Administration to avoid this sort of action, saying that it would do nothing to deal with longer-term problems relating to American competitiveness and could result in a trade war with trading partners.

Meanwhile, the great Peter Drucker, now in his 90s, but still highly productive, writes in Fortune magazine that the whole issue is widely misunderstood.

Presidential aspirant to propose middle-class tax relief (Thursday, 1/8/04)
Democratic front-runner Howard Dean's economic policies have been criticized by those who feel that they would cost working Americans money. With Wesley Clark gaining in the polls, Dean and his advisors are working on a plan that would reduce the middle class tax burden. Here's more from Nedra Pickler in Burlington, Vermont.

No surprise: jobless claims are up (Thursday, 1/8/04)
Nancy Waitz reports from Washington that first-time jobless claims increased during the New Year holiday week, but experts expected it.

World threatened by U.S. debt (Thursday, 1/8/04)
A new report from the International Monetary Fund claims that global financial stability is threatened by the U.S.' increasing foreign debt.

IRS fires and hires (Thursday, 1/8/04)
Apparently, the Internal Revenue Service believes it needs fewer clerical workers and m ore people to chase cheating taxpayers. The big tax collector is cutting about 2,400 jobs of some kinds, while adding about the same number in other areas.

Advice for your post-holiday job search (Thursday, 1/8/04)
Now that holiday stress has been replaced by post-holiday stress, you may feel that you could use some help in picking up where you left off in your search for suitable employment. Here's some advice from Business Week.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Survey on Security (Thursday, 1/8/04)
Results of a new survey on security, including economic security, are available from the World Economic Forum. The survey was conduced for the WEF by the Gallup International organization and involved interviews with 43,000 people from 51 countries.

More on the Bush immigration plan (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
George Gedda examines the possible political implications of President Bush's proposal for changing American immigration law, which, according to the New York Times' Elisabeth Bumiller in Washington, would provide new rights to illegal workers. Here is a closer look at some of the details in the President's plan.

Not sweet news for workers (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
Archibald Candy Corporation will shut down a Chicago candy plant and sell its Fannie May and Fanny Farmer stores, putting 625 workers out of work.

In other layoff news, EarthLink has announced that it will cut another 1,300 jobs.

A freeze is in the forecast (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
Despite a strong stock market, pension shortfalls continue, so more than a third of U.S. employers with pension plans are saying that they intend to freeze benefits.

Could this sort of thing catch on? (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
Hungary's deficit has turned out to be a good deal larger than forecast, so the nation's Prime Minister is asking its Finance Minister to find other work.

Japanese universities turn to internships (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
Internship programs are somewhat of a novelty in Japan, but universities are hoping they will attract new students interested in getting a head start in the corporate world.

Payroll cards become more popular (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
However, there are growing concerns about consumer protection, as well, because the cards are unregulated.

Young doctors who want a normal work life (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
Many physicians are always on call., while some kinds of specialists rarely are faced with an emergency. Matt Richtel reports that many young doctors are moving toward medical fields that don't require carrying a beeper.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Center for Immigration Studies (Wednesday, 1/7/04)
The Center for Immigration Studies claims to America's only think-tank exclusively dedicated to policy analyses of the influence of immigration on the United States. They say they have a "pro-immigrant" and "low-immigration" orientation.

The Bush push to change immigration law (Tuesday, 1/6/04)
The President would like to see changes in the law to enable people from Mexico and other countries to come to the United States if jobs are waiting for them. Deb Riechmann has more from Washington. Incidentally, analysts have been saying that if Bush were to receive the same percentage of the Hispanic vote in 2004 as he did in 2000, he would lose by several million votes.

In other election-year proposals, Democratic candidate Wesley Clark is saying that he would like to simplify the American tax system in a way that would have the wealthiest Americans paying more.

Will lower-wage workers earn more from overtime, given rules changes? (Tuesday, 1/6/04)
Not necessarily, according to Leigh Strope in Washington, who says that the Labor Department is advising employers on ways to avoid paying overtime.

Turkey intends to keep pension payments above the inflation rate (Tuesday, 1/6/04)
Government pensions in Turkey will increase by 10 percent during the first half of this year and by another 10 percent during the second half, in order to keep pensions above targeted inflation. Here's more from Istanbul.

Parmalat is sued by an American pension fund (Tuesday, 1/6/04)
USA Today's Kevin McCoy reports that an Alaskan pension fund has filed a securities fraud lawsuit against Parmalat, the big Italian dairy company.

Fukui's effort to end 12 years of stagnation (Tuesday, 1/6/04)
A Business Week commentary tells how the Bank of Japan's governor Fukui is attempting to make an apparent recovery into a real one.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: GILS (Tuesday, 1/6/04)
The Government Information Locator (GILS) is intended to help you find all the information you need from the vast array of information sources across agencies of the federal government.

Big employers think about becoming bigger (Monday, 1/5/04)
Kristen Gerencher of CBS MarketWatch finds that many major employers are sufficiently encouraged by the expansion of the American economy that they plan to add workers

Brazilian official expects two million new jobs... (Monday, 1/5/04)
...If South America's largest nation's economy grows by 3.5 percent this year, that is. Here's more from Sao Paulo on Labor Minister Jaques Wagner's remarks.

Flu hammers the American workplace (Monday, 1/5/04)
More American workers have been calling in sick because of the flu, leaving employers with questions about how to cope when people don't show up for work and also how to cope when they do.

Crackdown on shelter abuse (Monday, 1/5/04)
A variety of means for hiding income from the Internal Revenue Service have been widely used, but the IRS has changed the rules in order to more aggressively discourage abuses.

Arizonans earn less (Monday, 1/5/04)
The Arizona Republic's Jonathan Higuera has been examining data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the United States Department of Labor and finds that the majority of jobs in Arizona pay less than the national average.

Learning from 2003 (Monday, 1/5/04)
Minneapolis Star Tribune national economics correspondent Mike Myers summarizes some of the economic lessons that one can learn from last year's events.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Encyclopedia Smithsonian (Monday, 1/5/04)
Here's a quick reference from the Smithsonian Institution. The Encyclopedia Smithsonian offers quick answers to frequently asked questions having to do with Smithsonian resources on many topics.

Capping growth (Sunday, 1/4/04)
The most recent recession was relatively brief and mild, as American recressions go, but its peculiar nature may limit growth during 2004, according the Washington Post's John Berry.

State officials find that their jobs aren't quite enough fun (Sunday, 1/4/04)
State budget problems are beginning to ease somewhat, but there are still major cash shortages. Also, Robert Tanner reports on some of the other problems facing state officials.

The fine art of subverting any program intended to help you (Sunday, 1/4/04)
Americans aren't taking advantage of opportunities for preparing adequately for retirement. Here's more from David Francs of the Christian Science Monitor.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Best and Worst Managers of the Year (Sunday, 1/4/04)
Business Week examines the best and worst managers of the year, as well as the "New Normal."

December was a good month for manufacturing and jobs (Saturday, 1/3/04)
The Bloomberg news organization reports on the year-end boost in manufacturing activity and an improving job market. Wayne Hummer Investments' chief economist thinks that we could be at the beginning of a prolonged expansion.

Auto loan discrimination alleged (Saturday, 1/3/04)
DaimlerChrysler is accused or systematically disapproving auto loans for African American and Hispanic applicants in the Galveston, Texas area who meet qualifying criteria. The policy is blamed for the failure of at least one auto dealership in the market. Here's more from Kevin Moran in Houston.

Internet participation levels off (Saturday, 1/3/04)
After dramatic rates of increase for several years, the percentage of the American population on the Internet has leveled off approximately two-thirds, according to research conducted by the Pew Foundation.

Fallout from new pension plan at IBM (Saturday, 1/3/04)
Here's how IBM's cash-balance pension plan has changed the plans of many of its workers.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: 100 Best Companies to Work For (Saturday, 1/3/04)
Here's Fortune magazine's latest list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. However, you must be a subscriber to access the list online.

Economists expect hiring to pick up (Friday, 1/2/04)
As the economy comes out of a slump, employers typically wait for clear indications that the growth is real and that increases in investment and hiring are justified. That seems to be happening now, according to economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal. They expect hiring to pick up as the year 2004 progresses. Shannon Buggs says there are reasons for investors to be optimistic about the year as well.

Big boost in manufacturing (Friday, 1/2/04)
Manufacturing jobs have been disappearing in the U.S. for sometime, but not because the United States is no longer a nation that produces things. It's just that fewer workers are needed in the process. In fact, as Ros Krasny writes from Chicago, the manufacturing sector has been expanding at its most rapid rate in 20 years.

New overtime rules expected in March (Friday, 1/2/04)
New rules that will redefine eligibility criteria for overtime pay are expected from the U.S. Department of Labor in March. Here's more from Kirstin Downey of the Washington Post.

Lights! Action! Sell...yourself (Friday, 1/2/04)
Here's how to prepare a video that can help you land the job you want.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Canadian Institute for Health Information (Friday, 1/2/04)
The Canadian Institute for Health Information is an independent, not-for-profit organization that intends to help improve the health of Canadians as well as the Canadian health care system by providing timely, quality information.

Out with the new, in with the old (Thursday, 1/1/04)
US Airways will lay off 200 flight attendants in order to make room for ones who were furloughed and are coming back.

Stabilization may be setting in (Thursday, 1/1/04)
Here's more from Jeannine Aversa in Washington on the latest Labor Department jobless claims numbers and what they seem to mean for the overall American economy.

Update on overseas outsourcing (Thursday, 1/1/04)
If you're a small business, will you want to follow the lead of the big guys and send work overseas? There can be hidden costs and risks, according to this Business Week article.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-born Population of the United States (Thursday, 1/1/04)
Here is an update and expansion of data published in 1975 by the U.S. Census on the foreign-born population of the United States from 1850 to 1990.

Here are NewWork News stories from previous months

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