The New York Times (October 23)
While other countries make “progress from generation to generation,” the U.S. is falling behind in terms of literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills. “In literacy, for example, about 12 percent of American adults scored at the highest levels, a smaller proportion than in Finland and Japan (about 22 percent). In addition, one in six Americans scored near the bottom in literacy, compared with 1 in 20 adults who scored at that level in Japan.” Other nations realized the knowledge economy would offer very “few jobs for workers with mediocre skills…. Those countries, most notably Finland, broadened access to education, improved teacher training and took other steps as well.” The U.S. has yet to act with any sense of urgency.While other countries make “progress from generation to generation,” the U.S. is falling behind in terms of literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills. “In literacy, for example, about 12 percent of American adults scored at the highest levels, a smaller proportion than in Finland and Japan (about 22 percent). In addition, one in six Americans scored near the bottom in literacy, compared with 1 in 20 adults who scored at that level in Japan.” Other nations realized the knowledge economy would offer very “few jobs for workers with mediocre skills…. Those countries, most notably Finland, broadened access to education, improved teacher training and took other steps as well.” The U.S. has yet to act with any sense of urgency.
Tags: Economy, Education, Finland, Japan, Literacy, Numeracy, Problem solving, Progress, Skills, Teachers, Training, U.S., Urgency, Workers
Financial Times (October 3)
“Not only does poor sleep dent productivity, it also causes impulsivity and poor decision-making, according to sleep researchers. Sleep deprivation has been indicated as a cause in 7.8 per cent of all the US Air Force’s Class A accidents, defined as costing $1m or more). Sleep-deprived US workers cost their employers $63bn in lost productivity, according to a 2011 Harvard Medical School study.”
Tags: Accidents, Decision-making, Employers, Harvard, Productivity, Researchers, Sleep deprivation, U.S., Workers
New York Times (September 1)
“In the decade from 2002 to 2012, wages have stagnated or declined for the entire bottom 70 percent of the wage ladder.” Last Thursday “thousands of fast-food workers in 60 cities walked off their jobs, the latest in an escalating series of walkouts by low-wage workers demanding higher pay and the right to organize without retaliation.” The workers are seeking $15 an hour, up from their present $9. In demanding more reasonable wages, “the fast-food strikers have it right.”“In the decade from 2002 to 2012, wages have stagnated or declined for the entire bottom 70 percent of the wage ladder.” Last Thursday “thousands of fast-food workers in 60 cities walked off their jobs, the latest in an escalating series of walkouts by low-wage workers demanding higher pay and the right to organize without retaliation.” The workers are seeking $15 an hour, up from their present $9. In demanding more reasonable wages, “the fast-food strikers have it right.”
Wall Street Journal (August 29)
“In 1950 France had five people of working age per retiree. Today it has 1.4, and the ratio is expected to fall to 1.2 by 2050.” France’s newly unveiled pension reform will not “defuse” the pension bomb. “Paying for a growing number of retirees with a pay-as-you-go system that invests little for the future is a losing game. It will ultimately require much smaller pensions or much higher taxes, a fact that French businesses understand well even if the political class won’t admit it.”
New York Times (February 18)
“A higher minimum wage would be good for workers and for the economy.” The old job-killing myth “has been debunked… a higher minimum wage boosts pay without measurably reducing employment, while improving productivity. One study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago found that a $1 increase in the minimum wage results, on average, in $2,800 in new spending by affected households in the following year, in large part because the increase helps workers accumulate down payments to buy cars. Owning a car, in turn, helps workers to keep their jobs.”
Tags: Economy, Employment, Federal Reserve, Minimum wage, Productivity, Workers
New York Times (December 30)
Negative press coverage of companies like Apple and Foxconn has caused them “to make changes, like raising wages, limiting work hours and providing chairs with backs instead of stools at workstations.” This should be a major catalyst for change. “For companies operating in China and earning billions in profits, corporate responsibility demands that workers be treated and paid fairly.”
Tags: Apple, China, Corporate responsibility, Foxconn, Press coverage, Workers
