From the article “Restauranteurs Wrestle With State’s Minimum Wage Hike to $9.04,” about the  January 1 increase in Washington state’s minimum wage to $9.04 per hour, the highest state minimum wage in the country and almost $2 more per hour … read more >

NOLA.COM –  “Monday night’s BCS showdown between Louisiana State University and the University of Alabama will crown a national champion. But the game appears likely to produce another title: highest-priced tickets ever for a college football game.” MP: At TicketsNow, … read more >

Despite the gradual improvements in the U.S. labor market and the drop in the jobless rate to 8.5% in December, the payroll employment level of 131.9 million jobs in December is still more than six million jobs below the 137.9 … read more >

The chart above displays the annual change in total government employment (data here) and shows that the 589,000 reduction in government jobs between 2009 and 2011 was the largest reduction in government payrolls since the post-WWII period of 1945-1947.  Total … read more >