Free Republic

Call it payback for the December restaurant shutdowns.It took a few minutes after the BLS reported the impressive February jobs report, which showed a whopping 379K total jobs added in February (and 465K private payrolls, or more than double the 195K expected), for traders to read between the lines and realize that there was much less than meets the eye in the latest jobs report.To wit: of the 379K jobs, a whopping 355K, or 93%, were in leisure and hospitality, and within this category the one and only sector that truly boomed the most under the Obama admin was on...

Like other members of the service and gig economies, sex workers have been hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Strip clubs across San Francisco have closed. Escorts’ and BDSM professionals’ clients have dried up. And those who continue operating face a smaller and more dangerous clientele, but often have no other options but to continue working. Live online webcam modeling seems like a natural pivot for sex workers who are no longer able to see clients. VICE noted that popular cam site OnlyFans saw 60,000 new sign-ups in March, and The Chronicle recently reported on several underemployed...

If cash transfers to failing businesses are now a given any time the economy is in crisis, then where is the bailout for small businesses? Demanding what they claim is necessary to remain solvent and save the 750,000 jobs that maintain the industry, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Southwest Airlines want $29 billion in cash handouts and another $25 billion in loans from American taxpayers. The current House stimulus bill would give $37 billion in grants and $21 in loans with zero percent financing.When asked about the proposed bailout package, Trump said in a press conference, “We’re...

Commerce: The U.S. has slipped again in world rankings that assess the ease of starting a new business. If we're to bring down our stubbornly high unemployment rate, this trend has to be reversed. According to the World Bank's "Doing Business 2012" report, America is 13th among 183 countries ranked in the "Starting a Business" category. In the 2011 report, the U.S. ranked 11th. The year before, it was No. 8. In 2009, the U.S. was ranked No. 6. It was fourth in 2008 and third in 2007. In the 2012 ranking, the U.S trailed such job creators as Macedonia,...

On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management reported a significant drop in its measure for manufacturing activity in a first glance at economic performance in the third quarter of 2011. Today, ISM follows up that report with another that shows another significant drop in non-manufacturing activity as their services index fell to a low not seen since February 2010. Reuters found this rather surprising: The pace of growth in the services sector ticked down unexpectedly in July to the lowest level since February 2010, while the number of jobs created by the private sector also slowed, separate reports showed on...

<p>U.S. December ISM Service Industry Index Fell to 58.6 (Update2) Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. service companies reported business expanded in December for a ninth straight month, while more companies reported increases in orders and exports, an industry report said.</p>