Hopes for higher wage growth across Britain are receding, apart from in a few sectors of the labor market that suffer from acute skill shortages, according to a report published on Monday by recruitment company Hays. More »
French trade unionists blocked access on Monday to several fuel depots in protest against an overhaul of employment laws, seeking to test the government's will to reform the economy. More »
The European Commission wants more social protection and rights for casual workers, such as those in the "gig economy", and others with non-standard contracts to try to tackle growing social inequality. More »
U.S. employers are bracing for higher health care expenses in 2018 as spending on new drugs to treat diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis C is expected to rise more than 7 percent, according to consultancy firm Mercer. More »
Swinging dumbbells and chewing gum, several elderly Japanese gathered at a shrine in downtown Tokyo on Monday in sweltering temperatures, belying their age and importance in one of the world's most rapidly aging societies. More »
FILE PHOTO: Newly manufactured cars of the automobile maker Honda await export at port in Yokohama, Japan, January 16, 2017. – Japan’s manufacturing activity grew in July at the slowest pace in eight months as export demand weakened, a private survey showed on... More »
Following are five themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them. More »
Hiroaki Okutani (R), 57, a contract worker of Ueda Co., Ltd., wears an Atoun Inc. Power Assist Suit (AWN-03B), as he works at a distribution center in Kawasaki, Japan June 22, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai Japan’s labor shortage has pushed job-hopping to its highes... More »
A man looks at a mobile phone in front of the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo, Japan June 16, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai Japanese big manufacturers’ confidence is expected to have improved for a third straight quarter in June to match the peak seen two years ago... More »
A municipal worker sweeps the street outside the cabinet office in Westminster, central London, Britain, June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne British workers’ earnings after inflation contracted at the fastest pace since 2014 in the three months to April, un... More »
FILE PHOTO: A worker controls a tapping of a blast furnace at Europe’s largest steel factory of Germany’s industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp AG in the western German city of Duisburg December 6, 2012. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender/File Photo Euro zone industrial ou... More »
FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech during a ceremony marking Korean Memorial Day at the National Cemetery in Seoul, South Korea, June 6, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said on Monday the o... More »
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference at the end of the G7 Summit in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, May 27, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer French President Emmanuel Macron’s party is expected to emerge with the most seats in June’s parliament... More »
FILE PHOTO – John C. Williams, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, speaks at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. on May 2, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo The U.S. economy is at or near ... More »
An old man in need receives vegetable soup in a plastic cup to take away from the soup kitchen ‘Kana’ in a poor district of the city of Dortmund, western Germany, April 7, 2017. Picture taken April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay For all its economic success,... More »
FILE PHOTO: A steel-worker is pictured at a furnace at the plant of German steel company Salzgitter AG in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony on March 17, 2015. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo The German economy, Europe’s largest, picked up speed at the beginning of thi... More »
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble before the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an interview published on Wednesday he would propose moderate tax cuts fo... More »
U.S. consumers are taking out debt at a far faster rate than their incomes or the economy are growing, and just as we may be hitting a peak in employment. More »
A California pension fund has fired Franklin Templeton Investments, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Pacific Investment Management Co from some portfolio-management responsibilities in a shakeup that puts more of its assets in lower-fee, index-tracking investments, the... More »
Australia’s effort to improve the lives of its impoverished indigenous population is being undermined by a centralized, bureaucratic aid program delivered in sometimes culturally inappropriate ways, a United Nations official said on Monday. More »
China’s Premier Li Keqiang waves as he arrives for a news conference after the closing ceremony of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Premier Li Keqiang said on Wedne... More »
China aims to cut taxes and fees for companies by 1 trillion yuan ($144.65 billion) this year, Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday. More »
China’s Premier Li Keqiang gestures during a news conference after the closing ceremony of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj China needs to relocate nearly 1 million... More »
China’s Premier Li Keqiang gestures during a news conference after the closing ceremony of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee China will continue to push yuan exchange r... More »
FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen delivers semiannual monetary policy testimony during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. on February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo The Federal Reserve is exp... More »
People wait in line to enter the Nassau County Mega Job Fair at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, U.S. October 7, 2014. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo U.S. job growth increased more than expected in February and wages rose steadil... More »
U.S. job growth increased more than expected in February and wages rose steadily, which could give the Federal Reserve the green light to raise interest rates next week despite slowing economic growth. More »
A man counts U.S dollar bills at a money exchange office in central Cairo, Egypt, March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany The dollar firmed to seven-week highs against the yen on Friday, as investors awaited U.S. jobs data ahead of next week’s Federal Rese... More »
A man works at the assembly line in the truck production plant of truck and bus-maker MAN AG in Munich, Germany July 30, 2015. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle Euro zone manufacturing growth accelerated to a six-year high in February as a weaker euro helped drive strong... More »
Workers direct a crane lifting newly made steel bars at a factory in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, October 13, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily/File Photo China needs to reallocate half a million steel and coal workers in 2017 due to capacity cuts in these indust... More »
When you hear a politician start a sentence with the phrase “We’re all living longer,” grab your wallet. You are about to be told that Social Security or Medicare benefits should be cut because of America’s rising longevity. More »
FILE PHOTO – People look at job listings at the Careers and Jobs Live careers fair at the ExCeL centre in London April 19, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo British workers saw their pay grow more slowly than expected at the end of last year, official da... More »
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen holds a news conference following day two of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen goes to Congress on Tuesday for the... More »
Workers walk in the rain at the Canary Wharf business district in London November 11, 2013. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh More than a quarter of employers in Britain say staff members from other European Union countries have considered leaving their firms or the country... More »
FILE PHOTO: A protester holding a placard shouts slogans at a rally to call for visa grants for asylum seekers in Japan, in central Tokyo, September 9, 2015. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File Photo Japan accepted just 28 refugees last year when a record number applied f... More »
Economic growth appears to be picking up in the United States, Japan, Germany and France, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday. More »
People look at the schedule of a job fair for graduates of higher education and the general public in the centre of Shijianzhuang, Hebei province, China February 6, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter China is striving to create more than 50 million new jobs in urban a... More »
Workers cross Westminster Bridge during the morning rush hour in London in Britain, November 28, 2016. REUTERS/Toby Melville Half of British employers think the country’s attractiveness as a place to invest and hire will diminish over the next five years as it... More »
A container ship is loaded at a terminal in the harbour of Hamburg, Germany September 23, 2012. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, unpredictable U.S. policy under president-elect Donald Trump, and political uncerta... More »
Chinese 100 yuan banknotes are seen in this picture illustration taken in Beijing July 11, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Growth in China’s services sector accelerated to a 16-month high in November, a private survey showed, though the increase in new orde... More »
Swedish Minister of Finance Magdalena Andersson speaks at the 2016 IMF World Bank Spring Meeting in Washington, U.S., April 17, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo Loosening euro zone budget rules and spending more to boost growth and jobs would put the bl... More »
A Chinook helicopter flies over the Bank of England in the City of London, Britain, November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls The Bank of England scrapped plans to cut interest rates and said they could move in either direction as it ramped up its forecasts for... More »
A job seeker (L) talks with a corporate recruiter (R) as he peruses the man’s resume at a Hire Our Heroes job fair targeting unemployed military veterans and sponsored by the Cable Show, a cable television industry trade show in Washington, June 11, 2013. REUT... More »
A man passes a trade exhibition stand at the Careers and Jobs Live careers fair at the ExCeL centre in London April 19, 2009. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor Euro zone unemployment was 10.0 percent in September, unchanged from a downward revised 10.0 percent in August ... More »
The headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) are illuminated with a giant euro sign at the start of the ”Luminale, light and building” event in Frankfurt, Germany, March 12, 2016. EUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo Euro zone states should implement struc... More »
Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren speaks during the Sasin Bangkok Forum in this July 9, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang By the middle of next year, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren says he expects unemployment to fall to 4.7 p... More »
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks during a joint news conference with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Naohiko Hatta/Pool China’s economy performed better than ex... More »
A migrant worker cries during a crack down on illegal migrant workers at a market in Bangkok, Thailand, September 27, 2016. Picture taken September 27, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Thailand is cracking down on migrant workers from neighboring countries, s... More »
An oil refinery is seen in Carson, California March 4, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson Elizabeth Huber lost her job inspecting oilfield pipes nearly 20 months ago and her prospects remain bleak even as oil executives cautiously plot production and budget increase... More »
Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari speaks during an interview at Reuters in New York February 17, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid With the Federal Reserve powerless to do much more than it already is, the best route to faster U.S. economic growth is throug... More »
Companies in China may save up to 150 billion yuan ($22.5 billion) a year if they are allowed to contribute less to employees’ social security and housing plans, a research institute at the top economic planning agency said on Monday. More »
A picture illustration of crumpled kuna, Dollar and euro banknotes, taken in Zagreb January 18, 2011. REUTERS/Nikola Solic Central bankers in charge of the vast bulk of the world’s economy delved deep into the weeds of money markets and interest rates over a t... More »
By Aradhana Aravindan and Marius Zaharia | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Sherine Toh says her best days at work are when none of the 600-or-so staff at Singapore’s Tung Lok Restaurants (TGLK.SI) quits, though such days are rare. The Chinese restaurant group is one of th... More »
BERLIN The German economy lost some growth momentum in the second quarter after a strong performance in the first three months of the year, the Economy Ministry said on Thursday, citing weaker private consumption and weaker-than-expected construction. It added... More »
BEIJING Activity in China’s manufacturing sector eased unexpectedly in July as orders cooled and flooding disrupted business, an official survey showed, adding to fears the economy will slow in coming months unless the government steps up a huge spending spree... More »
BRUSSELS Economic growth in the euro zone slowed in the second quarter as uncertainty before the British vote to leave the European Union swirled, data showed on Friday, and economists said it could be a sign of future weaker growth. Gross domestic product (GD... More »
SINGAPORE The Singapore central bank’s current monetary policy stance remains appropriate and only a marked worsening in the global economy or significant shift to the inflation outlook would prompt a change, its managing director said on Monday. The Monetary ... More »
SYDNEY The sharp rebound in U.S. job growth last month eased concerns that the country’s labor market had regressed, a top Federal Reserve official said on Wednesday, repeating she continues to expect gradual interest rate rises. Cleveland Fed President Lorett... More »
PARIS Gangs of masked youths smashed windows and hurled stones at riot police as thousands of people marched through Paris on Tuesday in protest at a planned change of labor laws that would make hiring and firing easier. Police fired dozens of volleys of tearg... More »
HELSINKI Finland, whose once-renowned technology sector shed 15,000 jobs with the demise of Nokia’s (NOKIA.HE) mobile phone business, is struggling to fill thousands of vacancies for software developers because it lacks people with the right skills. At the sam... More »
STOCKHOLM The latest disappointing U.S. jobs number has not changed the overall economic picture and gradual rate hikes remain appropriate, Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said on Saturday. The Fed raised rates in December for the first time... More »
NEW YORK Jeffrey Gundlach, chief executive of DoubleLine Capital, called the May employment report on Friday a “real body blow” and said it means an interest rate increase later this month is an “impossibility.” In a telephone interview, Gundlach also said the... More »
WASHINGTON The U.S. economy created the fewest number of jobs in more than 5-1/2-years in May as manufacturing and construction employment fell sharply, which could make it harder for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. Nonfarm payrolls increased by o... More »
WASHINGTON – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said a U.S. jobs report on Friday that showed the weakest hiring in more than five years proved that Democratic economic policies are pushing the country in the wrong direction. The report gave Trump ... More »
WASHINGTON Donald Trump’s prediction that the U.S. economy was on the verge of a “very massive recession” hit a wall of skepticism on Sunday from economists who questioned the Republican presidential front-runner’s calculations. In an interview with the Washin... More »
NEW YORK The U.S. Federal Reserve will not raise short-term interest rates more than twice, if at all, in 2016, on expectations of slowing hiring in the second half of the year, a top bond manager at BlackRock, the world’s top asset manager said on Friday. Des... More »
HELSINKI If one fist bump could endanger Finland’s increasingly stressed tradition of consensus politics, then Prime Minister Juha Sipila and a cabinet colleague may just have achieved this dubious distinction. In a nod to popular culture, a smiling Sipila and... More »
BEIJING Capital expenditure by Chinese companies fell to the lowest in at least five years in the first quarter, a private survey showed, highlighting persistent weakness in the economy even as the government ratchets up policy support to head off a sharper sl... More »
CAIRO Egypt promised tough action to restore growth on Sunday with a government program that aimed to reduce the budget deficit while protecting the poor as public anger mounts over a deteriorating economy. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, reading out a 79-page p... More »
BEIJING China’s survey-based unemployment rate stood at around 5.1 percent throughout January and February, state television quoted the statistics bureau as saying on Monday. The rate is hovering at a relatively low level, and 0.05 percentage point below the s... More »
RIYADH Saudi Arabia’s plans for economic reform foresee winding down ‘jobs for life’ in an inefficient state bureaucracy and replacing them with new careers in a dynamic private sector. That’s the theory, at least. But in the short term, there is a problem: 20... More »
LONDON Yanis Varoufakis, the self-described “erratic Marxist” who took Greece to the brink of a euro zone exit by battling creditors over the conditions for a bailout, has got a new role: advising Britain’s opposition Labour Party. The former Greek finance min... More »
BEIJING China said on Monday it expects to lay off 1.8 million workers in the coal and steel industries, or about 15 percent of the workforce, as part of efforts to reduce industrial overcapacity, but no timeframe was given. It was the first time China has giv... More »
HOUSTON It is still unclear whether the recent downturn in global financial markets will have any substantial impact on the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said on Tuesday, suggesting the episode may still pass without much effect o... More »
LONDON The dollar turned lower against the euro in Europe on Monday as stock markets resumed their decline, wiping out gains based on Friday’s U.S. jobs report. A rise in oil prices during Asian trading helped commodity-linked currencies like the Australian an... More »
SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON In the U.S. Federal Reserve’s arsenal of tools the characterization of economic risks is heavy artillery, used to flag the moments when major events like the 2003 Iraq war or the near crack-up of the euro zone in 2011 make forecasting ... More »
WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and acknowledge that turmoil in financial markets threatens its upbeat view of the U.S. economy, leaving the chances of a March hike diminished but alive. All 69 analysts... More »
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday laid out a plan to help support the income of workers who lose their jobs and end up in lower paying positions, as part of a push to get unemployed Americans back to work. The proposal would offer experience... More »
LONDON One of the Bank of England’s policymakers who is considered most likely to call for higher interest rates believes the need for tighter monetary policy is “slightly less immediate” because of slow pay growth and falling oil prices, a newspaper reported.... More »
LONDON The outlook for British manufacturing next year has darkened, with output and new orders deteriorating at rates not seen since 2009, according to an industry survey on Monday that warned of slowing growth both at home and abroad. Manufacturing organizat... More »
BEIJING China’s factory activity fell for an eighth straight month in October but at a slower pace as export orders flickered into life, a private survey showed on Monday, pointing to continued sluggishness in the world’s second-largest economy. The Caixin/Mar... More »
TOKYO The Bank of Japan need not boost its massive monetary stimulus this week as the labor market remains tight, a key economic adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday. Koichi Hamada, an emeritus professor of economics at Yale University, also tol... More »
The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not eliminate the unique financial planning needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) clients. For years, same-sex couples in domestic partnerships needed financial advisers ... More »
BOSTON Eric Rosengren still expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year despite what the head of the Boston Fed called a “weak” September jobs report, which could signal a more significant economic slowdown that delays the policy tightening. ... More »
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RR.L) may announce a reduction of 400 management jobs in its marine division this week, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Chief Executive Warren East’s aim with the marine restructuring will be to s... More »
The U.S. jobs data were a bust, China remains a threat, the Fed won’t hike until, well, don’t ask, and bad news is good news for the stock market once again. Stocks plunged and then rallied back to gains on Friday after payrolls data showed not just declining ... More »
Now that the U.S. Federal Reserve has held back again on interest rates, advisers are taking advantage of attractive financing options before that window begins to close. Mortgaging property when rates are low is well-known advice. But unprecedented transparen... More »
As the fall wedding season begins, advisers should make sure they have a comprehensive plan to help clients who are getting married. Advisers need to look at the big picture, like if the couple’s retirement goals align, and the nitty gritty, such as insurance ... More »
ACCRA Ghana faced down the first major challenge to an IMF austerity program on Monday when doctors suspended a three-week strike but a bigger test of President John Mahama’s commitment will come next year as he fights for reelection. The International Monetar... More »
