国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

WORLD> America
US jobless rate jumps to 16-year high in December
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-09 23:24

Workers with jobs saw modest wage gains.

Average hourly earnings rose to $18.36 in December, up 0.3 percent from the previous month. Economists were expecting a 0.2 percent increase. Over the year, wages have increased 3.7 percent, although high prices for energy and food earlier this year made people feel like their paychecks weren't stretching that far.

Related readings:
 US Job losses stack up as recession deepens
 Obama considering expanding jobless benefits
 Obama to detail economic vision
 Wall Street braces for 2009's first full week

The US recession, which just entered its second year, is already the longest in a quarter-century, and is likely to stretch well into this year. The fact that the country is battling a housing collapse, a lockup in lending and the worst financial crisis since the 1930s make the current downturn especially dangerous.

G&K Services Inc., which provides uniforms and facility services, on Friday said it is eliminating 460 jobs as it aims to trim costs amid weak demand. And late Thursday, Intermec Inc., which makes electronic devices for tracking inventory, said it plans to cut 150 jobs, or 7 percent of its work force.

Earlier this week, drugstore operator Walgreen Co., managed care provider Cigna Corp., aluminum producer Alcoa Inc., data-storage company EMC Corp. and computer products maker Logitech International all announced major layoffs to cope with the recession.

All the problems have forced consumers and companies alike to retrench, feeding into a vicious cycle that Washington policymakers are finding difficult to break.

Obama says a bold approach is needed to bust through this cycle and revive economy.

"I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible," he said Thursday.

"If nothing is done, this recession could linger," Obama warned. "The unemployment rate could reach double digits."

Obama, who takes over Jan. 20, is promoting a massive package of tax cuts and government spending that could total $775 billion over two years. With add-ons by lawmakers, the package could swell to $850 billion, his advisers say.

Even with a new government stimulus and the Federal Reserve's decision to ratchet down a key interest rate to an all-time low, the unemployment rate is expected to keep rising. Some economists think it could hit 9 or 10 percent at the end of this year.

   Previous page 1 2 Next Page  

察雅县| 沐川县| 洛南县| 台中市| 横山县| 永德县| 龙门县| 吉水县| 东阳市| 体育| 宝鸡市| 秭归县| 铜山县| 崇文区| 德阳市| 泰州市| 玉门市| 湖口县| 石林| 荆门市| 赞皇县| 阆中市| 宝山区| 蓬溪县| 瓦房店市| 波密县| 南陵县| 宕昌县| 富锦市| 柳江县| 长阳| 淮滨县| 比如县| 乌审旗| 汝阳县| 南郑县| 张北县| 将乐县| 成都市| 碌曲县| 商都县|