Jobs, moods and rules  

Both the USA and the EU need to create more private sector jobs. In both the American and European continents unemployment is too high. Tax revenues are depressed and social expenditures large as a result. Both the EU and the US authorities are taking actions which make private sector job creation more difficult and dearer. In the USA there are many corporate worries about President Obama’s Health care plans. Most agree on at least one thing – companies on average will have to pay more for the health insurance for their staff. Many company pension funds are languishing with deficits. The poor performance of US shares over the last decade has hit them, as many of these plans are substantially invested in domestic equity. Companies have to put more money into them. This background makes employers cautious about hiring more people. In the EU the lawmakers...