Washington, United States | AFP | Job creation slowed unexpectedly in the United States last month as the service sector added fewer workers, but the unemployment rate held steady at a 49-year low, the government reported Friday. The new numbers fell below recent trends and avoided another blow-out result, denying …
Read More »US-China trade war sparks IMF global growth cut warning
Bali, Indonesia | AFP | The US-China trade war will hobble global growth, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday, cutting its forecast for this year and next and predicting that “everyone is going to suffer” from a clash between the world’s two biggest economies. At a meeting on the Indonesian …
Read More »US jobs engine gathers speed in January as wages rise
Washington, United States | AFP | US job creation accelerated in January, as the labor market continued to absorb workers at a robust pace, unemployment clung to a record low and wages moved higher, the government said in a key report Friday. And with a near 10-year record in wage …
Read More »US job gains disappoint, unemployment holds at 4.1%
Washington, United States | AFP | The US economy’s job creation ability disappointed in December, despite solid hiring in manufacturing and construction, according to government data reported Friday. But with the country believed to be near full employment, the jobless rate still held steady at its 17-year low of 4.1 …
Read More »Spend more on schooling to reduce inequality, IMF says
Washington, United States | AFP | Tackling disparities in education is crucial to reducing global income inequality, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday, urging governments to spend more on schooling for disadvantaged children. In a report, the IMF said that over the past three decades, 53 percent of countries had become …
Read More »S.Africa business confidence lowest in 32 years: survey
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Business confidence in South Africa has plummeted to its lowest level in more than 30 years as political uncertainty, unemployment and dwindling trade weighed heavily, a survey showed Wednesday. South Africa’s economy, which is the most developed in Africa, is plagued by sluggish growth …
Read More »Buhari’s Nigeria, Zuma’s South Africa exit recession in Q2
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria and South Africa have both exited recession, notching up economic growth of 0.6 percent and 2.5 percent respectively in the second quarter, official data showed on Tuesday. Nigeria’s economy returned to growth after five consecutive quarters of contraction, driven by a strong performance in …
Read More »South Africa in recession as economy shrinks 0.7% in Q1
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter of this year, pushing the continent’s most advanced economy into its first recession since 2009, according to official statistics released Tuesday. The data, which also showed unemployment hitting a 14-year high, are expected to pile more …
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