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More than three-quarters of oil and gas executives surveyed by KPMG LLP's Global Energy Institute say that energy independence is not attainable until 2030 or beyond, despite the emphasis on alternative energy sources in current and proposed government energy policies. The executives also said mass production of alternative energy is not viable in the short term. While there is a marked shift upward in the number of executives who acknowledge that global warming is occurring, the vast majority still don't support proposed regulations to stem CO2 emissions.

Online advertised vacancies dropped 131,000 to 3,117,000 in April, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series (HWOL)™. The April loss follows drops of 6,600 in February and 100,000 in March but much larger drops of 500,000 in both December and January. In total, advertised vacancies are down 1,321,000, or 30 percent, in the last six months.

The French spend more time sleeping than anyone else in OECD countries. They also devote more time to eating than anyone else and nearly double that of Americans, Canadians or Mexicans. The Japanese sleep nearly an hour less every night than the French and also spend longer at work and commuting than they do indulging in leisure activities.

More than 59 percent of small business owners don’t expect an economic turnaround until 2010 or later, while 23 percent anticipate a rebound by the end of 2009 and 17 percent are unsure, according to the latest Business Confidence Survey released by Administaff, a provider of human resource services for small and medium-sized businesses.

In 2008, the U.S. median wage was $15.57 per hour or $32,390 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor.

A strong dollar (making imports cheaper and exporting more difficult) appears to have little effect on the survival rate of small retailers, according to a study released by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The study covers 15 years of data, from 1990 through 2005, from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics of U.S. Businesses and other sources.

In the Commission's spring forecast, GDP in the European Union is projected to fall by 4% this year and to broadly stabilise in 2010. The main factors behind the recession are the worsening of the global financial crisis, a sharp contraction in world trade and ongoing housing market corrections in some economies. However, with the impact of fiscal and monetary stimulus measures kicking in, growth is expected to regain some momentum in the course of 2010. Labour markets will be severely affected, with the unemployment rate expected to increase to 11% in the EU in 2010. The public deficit is also projected to rise sharply, to 7¼% of GDP in 2010, reflecting both the slowdown and the discretionary measures taken to support the economy, in line with the European Recovery Plan proposed by the Commission.

Between 2000 and 2008, EU27 exports of goods to Canada grew from 21.1 billion euro to 26.1 bn, while EU27 imports from Canada rose from 19.0 bn to 23.8 bn. As a result the EU27 surplus in trade with Canada remained nearly stable, at 2.1 bn in 2000 and 2.3 bn in 2008. The share of Canada in the EU27's total external trade in goods has fallen between 2000 and 2008. In 2008, Canada accounted for 2.0% of EU27 exports and 1.5% of EU27 imports, and was the EU27's eleventh most important trading partner.

Asia and the Pacific's economies and their ability to lift people out of poverty may suffer unless urgent measures are taken to ensure better movement of people and goods, a seminar audience heard.

Total compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.3 percent from December 2008 to March 2009, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This follows a 0.6 percent increase for the September to December 2008 period. In March 2009, wages and salaries also rose 0.3 percent, while benefits rose 0.5 percent. The Employment Cost Index (ECI), a product of the National Compensation Survey, measures changes in compensation costs for civilian workers (nonfarm private industry and state and local government workers).