International & World Report

The job market is doing less harm to the United States. Published Friday by the Labor Department, the official estimate of 20 000 net job losses in January is consistent with the scenario of an expected return of recruits in the coming months, if growth continues. The most surprising is the fall in unemployment to 9.7%, its lowest level since last August. Economists feared the contrary a rise in unemployment beyond the threshold of 10%.

This rate is calculated from a survey of potential job seekers, while the estimate of creations or deletions of positions from a survey of businesses. But last month the proportion of discouraged unemployed and of persons employed part time, lack of full-time position, declined.So says the rate of "underemployment," the single most severe unemployment, back in January to 16.5%, against 17.3% in December.

Other positive signs are emerging. For the first time since January 2007, enrollment in the manufacturing sector increased (+11 000). This is best supported by increased overtime and raising the average actual working week. The average hourly wage also rises by 0.3% against 0.2% the previous month. Temporary jobs continue their net increase (+ 52 000). While they doubted the strength of demand, companies, out of prudence, first prefer to hire temporary employees, rather than recruiting staff permanently low fee payday loans .

The services sector, largely dominant in the U.S. economy, had destroyed 96 000 positions in December.He has recreated 40 000 in January. The good news is, however, be interpreted with caution, because it largely reflects the hiring of temporary workers by the federal government to carry out the census this year. The states and local communities hit by falling tax revenues continue to reduce their workforce.

Revised estimates

"Judging by the figures of growth in the fourth quarter (+5.7% yoy), reflecting mainly an effort to restock, real final demand is not strong enough to push companies to start of hire.It will take probably six to twelve months to see a trend of strong recruitment, "says Jay Mueller, portfolio manager with Wells Capital Management in Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin).

Reading the figures released Friday is complicated by multiple revisions of previous estimates. November proved much better than we believed, with 64 000 new net posts and not 4 000. But December was disastrous, with 150 000 net job losses, rather than 85 000 as we had originally estimated. Moreover, a massive revision of figures covering the twelve months prior to March 2009 reported eliminations 930 000 additional jobs. This brings to 8.4 million jobs destroyed in the United States for two years.

Is this a consequence of the economic crisis? "We found an increase in rent arrears in 2009," said Lucie Cahn, CEO of Apagl, the Association for access to rental guarantees. "About 30% of tenants in difficulty were unemployed and 25% of them had suffered a decline in their income," says she.

A difficult situation for tenants, but also for landlords, private income sometimes required at the time of retirement. To avoid such a scenario, they can protect themselves by taking out probably next month, with an insurer, the new security risks rental (GRL).

The propriétairesmieux protected

This extends the existing insurance arrangements.It is for rents not exceeding 2.000 euros and the maximum coverage is 70,000 euros and costs about 2% of annual rent.

However, the UNPI (National Union of Property Owners) said the device "inappropriate." "It is quite unfair to bear the brunt of financing the GRL by the lessor while the lessee is is insured and who will benefit from the contract, "sorry Jean Perrin, president of the UNPI.

The relationship between landlords and tenants are not always simple. "While the vast majority of rentals are going well, some cases come up repeatedly," said David Rodrigues, a lawyer for the consumer association CLCV.

The reimbursement by the landlord's security deposit at the end of rental, tops disputes.They are "more and more," says besides a survey released Wednesday by the CLCV, as Le Figaro was purchased.

Since 2008, the amount of the deposit is one month's rent excluding charges (rather than two months). According to the survey, the tenant is unlikely to recover fully after his move: the case of only 10% of tenants. And "in addition to a lease on three (37.5%), the lessor retains the full deposit, according to the survey. The majority of tenants (52.5%) recovered some of their stake. "But only 28% of the amount deposited in average (36% on average in case of dispute).

Withholding part of security deposit can be explained in deteriorating housing, or by UNPI, non-payment of last month's rent … But "this is not always the case," says CLCV."Quite often (28%), donors do not justify the deductions from the deposit," said David Rodrigues. "For this reason, we want the landlord to provide invoices stating that repairs were actually made," he concludes.

In a large show held at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, Guillaume Pepy, the SNCF President, presented the major innovations that the railway was completed or tested in 2009, and especially those which it has proceed in the years to come. Some of them concern the heavy infrastructure such as Highway Railway Luxembourg-Perpignan, whose rate of rotation has been doubled to four daily return. Also programmed a line Bayonne-Lille and medium-term line of Great Britain to Italy through France.

The key innovations, however, concerns the field of multimedia.And such service "station line", available on 3G phone, which lists 600 stations to allow users to know the times of departure and arrival of trains, the number of platforms, location or price of the car … In 2010, SNCF will launch a radio, a little image of FM Highway, we will receive on his mobile phone or Internet. With a team of 30 journalists, all 15 minutes will flash information on traffic conditions and disturbances. Between the flashes, there is provided a musical thread, who wants very heterogeneous because it will "attract a clientele that ranges from 7 to 77 years.

Tariff Schedule

On the website "Voyages SNCF, a tariff schedule will allow customers to better understand and especially to see ticket prices depending on the train. A first version for small prize will be available in first quarter 2010.After the air is the railway, through the barcode and card flyer, opening gradually to the e-ticket, thereby avoiding the printed ticket. Tested over 14 destinations in 2009, this service will be extended in 2010 to all France, and international relations with Luxembourg, Switzerland and Germany.

Finally, the SNCF will use the experience of Thalys on Internet connection and gradually equip the 52 TGV Est network. Thus, passengers traveling to Metz, Nancy and Strasbourg can surf the Internet while traveling. An investment whose cost is 500,000 euros per ream.

In the field of health, SNCF began to equip the trains of the TGV defibrillators. Since last summer, 150 stations have been equipped. It's now the turn of the TGV trains to the East and Switzerland. Eventually, the entire network will be equipped.An investment of 10 million euros for 2,000 defibrillators.

The agency Fitch has not taken into account what is doing the new government. Photo credits: AFP

Despite the significant impact of successive delays made the program of the new jumbo Airbus A350, the chairman of its parent, Louis Welsh, said in the columns of the Financial Times that his group will not appeal markets.

The boss of aerospace group EADS has nevertheless conceded that such delays "have an impact on cash Airbus, which suggests the London daily that the group's treasury could melt rapidly due to lower deliveries of had expected next year, raising questions about the long-term funding of new programs.

"We have over 8 billion euros in net cash. When you're in that situation, you do not request funding for your shareholders, "said Louis Welsh. The cost of developing the A350 is generally estimated at over 10 billion euros.Louis Welsh also ensures that the financial difficulties of Dubai, one of the largest customer of Airbus, will have no impact on the European group.

EADS shares evolved to equilibrium at around 11.00 to 12.37 euros, or -0.08% over the closing price last Friday at the Paris Bourse.