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The total employment rate for people aged 15-64 in the EU27 rose steadily from 62.4% in 20022 to 65.9% in 2008, but fell to 64.6% in 2009. The employment rate for women, which increased continuously from 53.7% in 20002 to 59.1% in 2008, dropped for the first time in 2009 to 58.6%. In contrast, the rate for older people, i.e. those aged 55-64, has continued to grow, reaching 46.0% in 2009, compared with 36.9% in 20002 and 45.6% in 2008.

In June 2010, compared with May 2010, the volume of retail trade remained stable in the euro area (EA16) and increased by 0.1% in the EU27. In May retail trade rose by 0.4% and 0.6% respectively.

With the ebb and flow of oil stocks buoyed to the lingering crisis in the Gulf, concerns about investing in oil companies continue to swell.

In a world struggling to climb out of the global recession, France remains a strong leader in foreign direct investment, according to a new report released this month from the Invest in France Agency (IFA). The report, entitled, "2010 France Attractiveness Scoreboard," compares France among 11 different developed nations, including the United States. In 2009, France ranked third worldwide in FDI inflow ($60 billion), after the United States ($136 billion) and China ($90 billion).

After peaking in 2009, overall customer satisfaction with insurance companies has declined significantly in 2010, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. National Auto Insurance Study(SM) released today. Overall customer satisfaction averages 777 on a 1,000-point scale, decreasing by 10 points from 2009.

As the U.S. economy continues to recover, TEKsystems has found that more organizations are feeling increasingly optimistic about their contingent hiring for the next quarter. While 23% of companies planned to increase their temporary IT hiring in the second quarter, 29% plan to do so in the third quarter. This increase reveals that there is a broader sense of optimism among a wider set of companies.

The majority (80%) of consumers with children in preschool through high school expect to spend more (39%) or the same (41%) per child on back to school shopping this year compared to last year, according to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker. The average family of four will spend $550 preparing for their kids’ return to the classroom, with clothing shoes and supplies as top expenditures. More surprising, given sharp declines in consumer confidence over the last two months, is that approximately half (45%) of parents have a range of cosmetic services on their back to school checklists, from haircuts and manicures to teeth whitening and, in a few cases, even tattoos.

Annual inflation in the OECD area fell to 1.5 % in the year to June 2010 compared with 2.0% in May amid a slowdown in energy price rises. Annual energy inflation slowed to 4.7% in June compared with 11.0% in May.

In June 2010 compared with May 2010, the industrial producer price index rose by 0.3% in the euro area (EA16) and by 0.2% in the EU272. In May 2010, prices increased by 0.3% in both zones.

The Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) has given an upbeat signal on the economy, registering its biggest rise since October and a return to the level of June 2008.