Wall Street Journal (December 2)
“Like much of corporate America today, the Nasdaq is virtue signaling at the expense of someone else. This is far from its reason for being, which is a marketplace to raise money while spreading the benefits of capitalism and corporate ownership. Imposing its own identity politics on some 3,300 listed companies meddles in corporate management and will harm economic growth and job creation.” [Nasdaq is seeking minimum quotas of women and minority/LGBTQ directors on corporate boards.]
Tags: Capitalism, Corporate America, Growth, Identity politics, Job creation, Management, Marketplace, Money, Nasdaq, Ownership, Virtue signaling
New York Times (April 2)
“The prospect of job creation and short-term returns has prompted several governments in Latin America to welcome mining companies and keep regulation to a minimum,” sometimes with disastrous consequences. “The surge in reckless mining operations has provoked anger and controversy throughout the region, and it was a driving force for a remarkable law passed Wednesday in El Salvador banning mining for gold and other metals in the tiny Central American nation.” This bold new ban is unlikely to inspire copycats, but it may “prompt other countries to consider more carefully the toll mining takes on vulnerable communities and the need for tighter regulations and stronger enforcement of environmental rules.”
Tags: Anger, Controversy, El Salvador, Gold, Job creation, Latin America, Mining, Reckless, Regulation, Short-term returns
Washington Post (August 13)
“U.S. businesses are aging…and a sharp decline in start-up companies is a big reason. As the share of young firms shrinks, the surviving companies are naturally older — and this may have huge ramifications for the economy.” Nobody’s sure why this trend is occurring, but it suggests slower job creation and raises a troubling question. “Could it be that a society whose members are getting older is more risk-averse and less adventurous?”
Tags: Adventurous, Aging, Businesses, Decline, Economy, Job creation, Ramifications, Risk-averse, Society, Start-ups, U.S.
Washington Post (February 18)
Joblessness remains protracted in the U.S., with the CBO estimating unemployment will not fall below 7.5% until 2015. “That would make six years above 7.5 percent — the longest stretch of high joblessness in 70 years.” The U.S. economy was always distinguished by job creation. What’s changed? “To overgeneralize slightly: We have gone from being an expansive, risk-taking society to a skittish, risk-averse one.” Rather than buying today, everybody is waiting until tomorrow. “Pessimism produces a sluggish economy; a sluggish economy produces pessimism. That’s the main explanation of poor job creation.”
Tags: CBO, Economy, Job creation, Joblessness, Risk-averse, Risk-taking, U.S., Unemployment
Time (May 30)Time (May 30)
In the U.S., hiring is taking place in an unusual spot. “Amid a lackluster economic rebound, American manufacturing, for the first time in decades, has seen an unlikely updraft. After losing 6 million jobs from 1999 to 2009, the manufacturing sector has been one of the few stars of the sluggish recovery. Nearly 1 in 6 jobs that have been created since the beginning of 2010 has been in manufacturing.” To continue growing the manufacturing sector, it will be important to focus on the “most lucrative — high-end engineering positions that spawn other positions.”In the U.S., hiring is taking place in an unusual spot. “Amid a lackluster economic rebound, American manufacturing, for the first time in decades, has seen an unlikely updraft. After losing 6 million jobs from 1999 to 2009, the manufacturing sector has been one of the few stars of the sluggish recovery. Nearly 1 in 6 jobs that have been created since the beginning of 2010 has been in manufacturing.” To continue growing the manufacturing sector, it will be important to focus on the “most lucrative — high-end engineering positions that spawn other positions.”
Tags: Engineering, Hiring, Job creation, Manufacturing, U.S.
Washington Post (November 15)
Columnist Robert J. Samuelson summarizes current thought on Japan. “It’s hard to remember now that in the 1980s Japan had the world’s most–admired economy….Nowadays, all we hear are warnings not to repeat Japan’s mistakes.” Samuelson, however, draws a different lesson from Japan. Many preach the importance (or sometimes danger) of government stimulus. Others point to the dangers of deflation. The key lesson Samuelson draws from Japan is the importance of job creation. “There is no substitute for vigorous private-sector job creation and investment, and that’s been missing in Japan.”
Columnist Robert J. Samuelson summarizes current thought on Japan. “It’s hard to remember now that in the 1980s Japan had the world’s most–admired economy….Nowadays, all we hear are warnings not to repeat Japan’s mistakes.” Samuelson, however, draws a different lesson from Japan. Many preach the importance (or sometimes danger) of government stimulus. Others point to the dangers of deflation. The key lesson Samuelson draws from Japan is the importance of job creation. “There is no substitute for vigorous private-sector job creation and investment, and that’s been missing in Japan.”
Tags: Deficit spending, Deflation, Japan, Job creation, Lost decade, Stimulus
