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"In 1993, the [Volvo Environment] Prize went to Professor Paul R. Ehrlich of Stanford University and Professor John P. Holdren of the University of California in Berkeley, whose work laid the foundations of our understanding of how the dynamics of population growth, rising living standards and changing technology, as well as the relationships between them, interact in the context of environmental problems." List of past winners (and their work) from 1990 - 2014 Professor Paul R. Ehrlich, Professor John P. Holdren

First-time claims for unemployment benefits ticked down to 294,000 for the week ending Dec. 6, the Department of Labor reported Thursday, down from 297,000 the week before and right in line with expectations. The four-week moving average remained just below the 300,000 mark, at 299,250, signaling that layoffs remain low amid an expanding labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that the economy added a healthy 321,000 jobs in November. At 5.8 percent, the unemployment rate has plummeted by 1.2 percentage points over the past year. The total number of workers receiving unemployment insurance fell by 95,846 to...

Looking for a job? If you're a programmer or computer science grad, there are plenty, said Meir Brand, head of Google's Israel office.Looking for a job? If you're a programmer or computer science grad, there are plenty of jobs for you in Israel, said Meir Brand, head of Google's Israel office. “I can tell you that there is a worldwide shortage of qualified people in these areas, and Israel is feeling this as well,” Brand told an audience at Haifa University, at an event sponsored by the Israel Lottery. The Lottery raises money for education, and Brand's message for listeners...

On Saturday [1] at the Associated Press, aka the Administration’s Press [2], reporter Christopher Rugaber described the economy’s pickup of 321,000 payroll jobs in November as “booming.”Not so fast, pal.Even if you accept that November’s seasonally adjusted result fairly reflects the underlying reality — and it doesn’t, which will be shown shortly — it will only be “booming” once we see such a figure repeated for at least five more months. On a workforce-adjusted basis, the analogous post-recession period during Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s had a streak of 19 out of 20 months with an equal or...

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Reported income by all North Dakotans has more than doubled to a record $30.4 billion since the infancy of the state's oil boom in 2006, tax return filings show. Tax Department figures released to the Associated Press show the number of taxpayers in the state has jumped 37 percent since the state's oil bonanza began, from 339,000 in 2006 to 466,000 in 2013. Slightly more than 440,000 tax returns were filed in 2012. Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger said the increase in income and the number of taxpayers contributes heavily to the state's robust economy. "More people are...

Submitted by Jeffrey Snider, via Alhambra Investment Partners,The juxtaposition could not be more fitting with all that is transpiring at this moment in economic history. On Monday, the headlines were filled with, Black Friday Fizzles as Sales Tumble 11% and ‘Black Friday’ Fades as Weekend Retail Sinks 11%. Then the “employment” report comes out and now the headlines are, More Jobs and Higher Wages: U.S. Recovery Starts to Hit Home and Hiring Surge Gives U.S. Expansion a Lift Into 2015. The problem is one of mutual exclusivity as both narratives are totally inconsistent with each other even when factoring...

The labor force participation rate remained at a 36-year low of 62.8 percent in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The participation rate, which is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population who participated in the labor force by either having a job during the month or actively seeking one, was 62.8 percent in November which matches the percentage since March 1978. In November, according to BLS, the nation’s civilian noninstitutional population, consisting of all people 16 or older who were not in the military or an institution, reached 248,844,000. Of those, 156,397,000 participated in the labor force...

Aliens illegally holding jobs in the United States outnumber all unemployed people who are not in management, professional or related occupations as well as all unemployed who are 25 and older and who do not have a college degree, according to an estimate of "unauthorized workers" published by the Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration and employment data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS only counts as "unemployed" people who have actively looked for a job in the past four weeks. “We estimate that the number of unauthorized workers grew from 4.8 million in 2000 to...

WASHINGTON - A burst of U.S. hiring in November — the most in nearly three years — added 321,000 jobs and provided the latest evidence that the United States is outperforming other economies throughout the developed world. In addition, the government said Friday that 44,000 more jobs were added in September and October combined than it had previously estimated. Job gains have averaged 241,000 a month this year, putting 2014 on track to be the strongest year for hiring since 1999. The unemployment rate remained at a six-year low of 5.8 percent. November's robust job growth, reflecting a steadily rising...

Initial jobless claims fell back below 300,000 last week as companies sharply reduced planned layoffs in November in a positive sign for the labor market ahead of the monthly jobs report. About 297,000 applied for first-time unemployment benefits, down 17,000 from the previous week's revised level, the Labor Department said Thursday. The figure, which was in line with analyst expectations, remained above the post-Great Recession low of 266,000 reached in October. The less-volatile four-week average was 299,000, up 4,750 from the previous week. Economists say weekly claims below 300,000 are a sign of a healthy job market. Claims had been...

AUSTIN -- Gov.-elect Greg Abbott on Wednesday sued the Obama administration over the executive actions on immigration, saying the president overstepped his power by attempting to rewrite immigration laws. "The president is abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce laws that were fully enacted by Congress," Abbott said in a statement before announcing the lawsuit at a press conference.

WASHINGTON — U.S. businesses hired at a solid pace last month, according to a private survey, a signal that Friday's November jobs report from the government will likely also show strength. Payroll processer ADP said Wednesday that companies added 208,000 jobs in November, the third straight month that hiring has topped 200,000. The figures suggest that businesses remain confident enough in the economy and their customer demand to add workers despite sluggish growth overseas. October gains were revised up slightly to 233,000 from an initially reported 230,000," Barclays Research economist Jesse Hurwutz wrote in an e-mailed analysis. "Goods-producing employers added...

First: new oil well permits collapse 40% in November; why is this an issue? Because since December 2007, or roughly the start of the global depression, shale oil states have added 1.36 million jobs while non-shale states have lost 424,000 jobs.  *  *  *This should help clear things up. According to a new study, investments in oil and gas exploration and production generate substantial economic gains, as well as other benefits such as increased energy independence.  The Perryman Group estimates that the industry as a whole generates an economic stimulus of almost $1.2 trillion in gross product each year, as well...

The OEM Industries Division of FNA Group Inc., which manufactures pressure washers for home and industrial markets, is establishing a new manufacturing, distribution and research and development facility in Pleasant Prairie. The $3 million project expected to create more than 100 new jobs in Kenosha County. The Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based company will occupy a 176,000-square-foot industrial facility in the LakeView Corporate Park in Pleasant Prairie that will enable it to manufacture new products, accommodate demand for existing products and establish an R&D/engineering/product development center. The company is expected to begin operations at the plant in January. The FNA Group...

The GOP is preparing to mount a full-scale assault on President Obama’s regulatory agenda, using the party’s strengthened hand in Congress to delay, soften or block contentious administration rules at every turn. As long as Obama sits atop the executive branch, Republicans’ power to derail scores of rulemaking efforts now under way is limited. But control of both the House and Senate in the next Congress will enable GOP lawmakers to ratchet up their attacks on what they view as overzealous regulation. “So long as we have this president the federal agencies can go around Congress," said Sen. Jim Inhofe...

Father-of-six Tyree Landrum was driving to one of his three jobs when he came across a line of Ferguson protesters blocking the road in the middle of the San Diego rush hour. Furious that the demonstrators might make him late to work and risk him getting fired, he decided to get out of his car on the I-5 in La Jolla to confront the group of students. He then told a photographer for ABC News 10: 'If I don't get there, I'm going to get fired. I've got six f****** kids to feed.' Mr Landrum's reaction on Wednesday has since...

<p>ATLANTA(AP)—To rebuild in the conservative South, Democratic leaders say their party must become more aggressive advocates for the middle class in an effort to energize African-Americans and attract whites.</p> <p>After the Republicans' success in the midterm elections, many say the Democratic Party should openly embrace government as a tool for lifting people out of economic hardship. They are advocating a return to party roots by emphasizing education and public works spending, stronger voting rights laws, tighter bank regulation and labor-friendly policies such as a higher minimum wage.</p>

More consumers report lower intended holiday spending in 2014 compared to 2013, according to the 15th annual holiday spending survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Credit Union National Association (CUNA). This year, 10 percent said they would spend more while 33 percent said they would spend less. In 2013, 13 percent said they would spend more while 32 percent said they would spend less. The proportion who said they would spend less declined steadily from 55 percent in 2008 to 32 percent last year before rising slightly this year. (Consumers almost always spend more than...

WASHINGTON-The number of Americans seeking first-time jobless benefits leapt last week but remained at a level suggesting steady job growth. Initial jobless claims rose 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 313,000 in the week ended Nov. 22, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected 289,000 new claims. Updated figures put the prior week's level at 292,000, up from an initially reported 291,000. Last week's spike marked the first time since early September that new claims exceeded 300,000. Jobless claims are volatile, tending to fluctuate week to week. The four-week moving average of jobless claims,...

In the week ending November 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 313,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 291,000 to 292,000. The 4-week moving average was 294,000, an increase of 6,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 287,500 to 287,750. There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims.