Small Biz Group Says Rising Jobless Come Fall

April 13, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Small business owners had less trouble filling jobs last month, but the jobless rate could be on the rise as well.

Economists at the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a small-business lobbying group, see the unemployment rate rising to 5% by the fall.

The group reported in their monthly survey of small businesses that during March, more than a quarter (26%) of small business owners surveyed said they had difficult-to-fill job openings. However, that was less than February’s 32% level, a three- year record.

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The figures are consistent with other economic indicators such as the recent rise in unemployment insurance claims to five-year highs, last weeks 4.3% March unemployment figure, and the recent fall in help-wanted advertisements.

The NFIB index, which measures factors such as inventory levels and hiring plans, slipped to 97.8 from 98.4 in February, measured against the base year of 1986.

Active Work Not So Healthy

April 12, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Stress in the workplace could be wiping out the health benefits reaped from physically active work, a study finds.

Professor James Dwyer, of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and lead investigator Cheryl Nordstrom studied 447 California utility-company workers, between the ages of 40 and 60, for three years.

The group included managers, meter readers, technicians and administrative assistants believed to be under increased stress as a result of rising competition in the industry after deregulation.

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The study found that those presenting the most dramatic thickening of the carotid artery, a condition related to the buildup of plaque in arteries that can cause disease, were also in the group with the highest degree of workplace physical activity. The same group reported the most job-related stress.

On the other hand, employees who exercised at least four times each week outside of work showed much less carotid artery thickening than those who did no leisure exercise.

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