BUSINESS SERVICES : View Posts

MILWAUKEE, — One in five people are in the wrong role, jobs they are not motivated by, engaged with or productive in, according to new research released today by Right Management, ManpowerGroup’s global career and talent development expert (NYSE: MAN). Based on interviews with more than 4,600 people across 20 countries, Right Management found companies need to invest in career mobility and help employees develop their skills and gain valuable experience in ways that suit them (online, in-person and on-the job) to boost engagement and productivity. Adopting a high-tech, high-touch approach combining coaching with innovative technology will help match people to the right positions resulting in a 40% increase in engagement with a knock-on-effect on performance.

Read the report in full here: www.right.com/rightperson

“Making sure you have the right people in the right roles is a proven way to boost engagement, productivity and the bottom line,” said Mara Swan, Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Talent, ManpowerGroup and Global Brand Lead for Right Management. “Wrong for the role doesn’t have to mean wrong for the organization. The best companies to work for are implementing high-tech, high-touch, personalized career development strategies. Online training and assessments that come with always-on capability and real-time career-coaching is how they’re retaining and rewarding their brightest and best and filling their talent pipelines for today and tomorrow.”

Right Management’s new RightCareer platform is designed to help companies position themselves as employers of choice, providing 24×7 online, personalized career development solutions supported by real-time coaches.

The Right Person report recommends seven practical steps for organizations to introduce an effective Career Development strategy that will attract, engage and retain the brightest and best:

Educate: Coach leaders to provide Career Management guidance aligned to business goals.
Attract: Use employer branding and workforce development to attract top-talent
Retain: Have high-touch Career Conversations and use high-tech tools to enable development, create a learning culture and encourage career mobility.
Engage: Keep employees engaged and productive by providing ongoing career coaching and opportunities to upskill.
Redeploy Talent: Offer easy access to open internal positions and opportunities for career mobility within your organization.
Plan For Future Talent Needs: Plan ahead and leverage tools to stay up to date with new HR, talent and technology solutions as they emerge.
Develop a Sustainable Leadership Program: Identify high potential talent and prepare them to take on leadership roles.
To find out more about the report findings and Right Management’s RightCareer Solutions, visit www.right.com/rightperson

For more information about Right Management visit: www.right.com

For more information about ManpowerGroup visit: www.manpowergroup.com

About Right Management
Right Management is the global career and talent development expert within ManpowerGroup®. We help organizations become more agile, attractive and innovative by creating a culture of career development and learning that nurtures future talent, motivates and engages people, and provides individuals with opportunities to increase their value throughout their careers. We improve time to value through our expertise in organizational effectiveness, career and individual development. Our approach is centered on the fact that organizations thrive when individuals are successful in their careers. We’ve spent the last 35+ years identifying workforce challenges and developing innovative solutions, enabling our globally informed methods to be time-tested across more than 50 countries.

About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for over 400,000 clients and connect 3+ million people to meaningful, sustainable work across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower®, Experis®, Right Management® and ManpowerGroup® Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across 80 countries and territories and has done so for nearly 70 years. In 2017, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the seventh consecutive year and one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup is powering the future of work: www.manpowergroup.com

The Federal Trade Commission, along with 11 states and the District of Columbia, today announced “Operation Game of Loans,” the first coordinated federal-state law enforcement initiative targeting deceptive student loan debt relief scams. This nationwide crackdown encompasses 36 actions by the FTC and state attorneys general against scammers alleged to have used deception and false promises of relief to take more than $95 million in illegal upfront fees from American consumers over a number of years.

Student loan debt affects more than 42 million Americans and, with outstanding balances of more than $1.4 trillion, student loans are the second largest segment of U.S. debt, after mortgages.

Operation Game of Loans includes seven FTC actions: five new cases, one new judgment in favor of the FTC, and a preliminary injunction entered in a case filed earlier this year. The agency alleges that the defendants in these actions charged consumers illegal upfront fees, falsely promised to help reduce or forgive student loan debt burdens, and pretended to be affiliated with the government or loan servicers, in violation of the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule and the FTC Act. Operation Game of Loans also includes law enforcement actions by Colorado (link sends e-mail), Florida (link sends e-mail), Illinois (link sends e-mail), Kansas (link sends e-mail), Maryland (link sends e-mail), North Carolina (link sends e-mail), North Dakota (link sends e-mail), Oregon (link sends e-mail), Pennsylvania (link sends e-mail), Texas (link sends e-mail), Washington (link sends e-mail), and the District of Columbia (link sends e-mail).

36 FTC and State enforcement actions, 11 States and the District of Columbia, Scammers collected over $95 million in illegal fees.

“Winter is coming for debt relief scams that prey on hardworking Americans struggling to pay back their student loans,” said Maureen K. Ohlhausen, FTC Acting Chairman. “The FTC is proud to work with state partners to protect consumers from these scams, help them learn how to spot a scam, and let them know where to go for legitimate help.”

In addition to its state partners, the FTC has been working closely with the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid to raise awareness about student loan debt relief schemes, and ensure that borrowers know to visit StudentAid.gov/repay for information about existing repayment and forgiveness programs available to them at no cost.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Administrator Linda McMahon, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, today encouraged small businesses to comment on the Federal Register notice posted earlier this month. The notice is in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 13777 which aims to ease the burdens placed on America’s small businesses. Under this Executive Order all federal agencies are required to designate a Regulatory Reform Officer and develop a process of evaluating their existing regulations and determine which ones should be repealed, replaced or modified.

“As I travel the country meeting with small business owners, I hear over and over again about the volume of regulations they must comply with and how difficult it is to manage the burden. So I’ve appointed a taskforce here at SBA to help identify SBA regulations that need to be changed or eliminated.” McMahon said, “Your feedback will help SBA do its part to identify which SBA regulations may be impeding small business economic growth, innovation and job creation.”

Small businesses may post comments on sba.gov/ReducingRegs until October 16, 2017. For questions concerning the notice, please contact Holly Turner, 409 Third Street, SW., Washington, DC 20416; holly.turner@sba.gov (link sends e-mail) .

About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 and since January 13, 2012 has served as a Cabinet-level agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. www.sba.gov

Arlington, VA – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency signed a grant with Saigrene Energy Kenya Limited supporting the development of run-of-river hydroelectric plants at five sites in Kenya.
The grant funds a feasibility study that will evaluate the viability of the sites for power generation and examines the best approach for connecting the sites to the national grid. The five plants would collectively add approximately 17 megawatts of renewable energy to Kenya’s generation mix. The study will allow the developers to identify U.S. equipment manufacturers and service providers that are well-positioned to outfit the hydroelectric plants.
“USTDA is pleased to support this important study that will provide opportunities for U.S. industry to supply products and services, while advancing Kenya’s power goals,” said Lida Fitts, USTDA’s Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa.
“In addition to providing opportunities for the use of high quality U.S. equipment and expertise, the plants will also provide numerous benefits to the local community, such as job creation, and technical skills training for the youth,” said Paulo Gonçalves, Chief Executive Officer of Saigrene Energy Kenya Limited.
The U.S. engineering and environmental consultancy, Knight Piésold (Denver, CO), was selected to perform the feasibility study.
About USTDA
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project planning activities, pilot projects, and reverse trade missions while creating sustainable infrastructure and economic growth in partner countries

As we leave the European Union and therefore the EU Customs Union, the Government seeks a new customs arrangement that facilitates the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods between the UK and the EU, and allows us to forge new trade relationships with our partners in Europe and around the world.

This is the first in a series of papers setting out the UK Government’s thinking on our future
relationship with the EU. This paper details the Government’s aspirations for the UK’s future customs arrangements. These proposals respond to points raised in discussion with business and are intended to be the start of a wider dialogue with both business and other stakeholders ahead of negotiations in the autumn.

The UK’s traders are a key part of our economy and the Government is clear that any new customs system should be as facilitative as possible to encourage growth in trade with the EU and the rest of the world, and should mitigate to the greatest extent possible against any additional administrative burdens or delays.

The Government believes that there are two broad approaches the UK could adopt to meet these objectives. These approaches represent different choices about the nature of our relationship with the EU and countries around the world, but in either option the UK would seek to pursue its independent trade policy objectives.

● A highly streamlined customs arrangement between the UK and the EU, streamlining and simplifying requirements, leaving as few additional requirements on EU trade as possible. This would aim to: continue some of the existing arrangements between the UK and the EU; put in place new negotiated and potentially unilateral facilitations to reduce and remove barriers to trade; and implement technology-based solutions to make it easier to comply with customs procedures. This approach involves utilising the UK’s existing tried and trusted third country processes for UK-EU trade, building on EU and international precedents, and developing new innovative facilitations to deliver as frictionless a customs border as possible.

● A new customs partnership with the EU, aligning our approach to the customs border in a way that removes the need for a UK-EU customs border. One potential approach would involve the UK mirroring the EU’s requirements for imports from the rest of the world where their final destination is the EU. This is of course unprecedented as an approach and could be challenging to implement and we will look to explore the principles of this with business and the EU.

Our ultimate customs arrangement will depend on our negotiations with the EU. However, under either approach, both the UK and EU Member States would benefit from time to fully implement the new customs arrangements, in order to avoid a cliff-edge for businesses and individuals on both sides. The Government believes a model of close association with the EU Customs Union for a time-limited interim period could achieve this. It would help both sides to minimise unnecessary disruption and provide certainty for businesses and individuals if this principle were agreed early in the process.The Government would need to explore the terms of such an interim arrangement with the EU across a number of dimensions. The UK would intend to pursue new trade negotiations with others once we leave the EU, though it would not bring into effect any new arrangements with third countries which were not consistent with the terms of the interim agreement.

The Government has held discussions with a range of businesses, including those with complex customs requirements and those who trade mainly with the EU. We will continue to discuss these proposals with stakeholders over the summer and will publish a Customs White Paper in advance of the Customs Bill in the autumn.

The border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the UK’s only land border. We must avoid a return to a hard border, and trade and everyday movements across the land border must be protected as part of the UK-EU deal. The Government welcomes the clear commitment made in the European Council’s negotiating guidelines and the European Commission’s directives to work with us on “flexible and imaginative” solutions to achieve this. Ahead of those discussions, this paper includes proposals that are first steps to meet our objective of trade across that land border being as seamless and frictionless as possible, but further steps will be necessary. The Government will publish a paper
relating to Northern Ireland shortly.

As the UK looks to forge new and ambitious trade relationships with our partners in Europe and around the world, we have a major opportunity to build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous UK, and one that is more outward looking than ever before.

In working to achieve that, we will:
● boost our trade relationships with both old friends and new allies;
● support the rules-based global trading system;
● ensure we protect our businesses from unfair anti-competitive practices;
● maintain our high level of standards and protect our public services;
● make trade work for everyone;
● support developing countries to reduce poverty through trade; and
● make trade more transparent and inclusive.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on the July 2017 Employment Situation report:

“July’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent from the previous month’s level of 4.4 percent. The unemployment rate matches its May 2017 rate, which is the lowest since May 2001. The unemployment rate has dropped 0.5 percentage point since President Trump took office. Non-farm payroll employment rose by 209,000 jobs. More than one million jobs have been created since January. Multiple economic sectors showed job growth since the President took office, including 82,000 jobs created in construction and 70,000 in manufacturing.

“Since President Trump took office, the unemployment rate has hit a 16-year low. This month’s jobs report reflects the steady economic growth and continued optimism felt by businesses across the United States. American companies are growing and they are hiring. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are now taking home a paycheck.

“By empowering business, education, and state and local government to work together on expanding apprenticeships and job opportunities, our labor force will continue to strengthen. This Administration is committed to ensuring good, safe, family-sustaining jobs for American workers will be available today and in the future.”

ROSELAND, NJ — Small business owners and their employees wear a lot of hats. One day it’s sales maven, the next it’s marketing guru or back-office ace. It seems to be the nature of the beast. But that approach — especially for small business owners who already push the boundaries of a 24-hour day with limited resources — has a startling downside and tangible hidden cost, according to a recent ADP® study.

The study indicates that as many as 70 percent of small businesses in the United States — which equates to potentially 1.5 million of them — handle the human resources (HR) function with staff members who manage it on an “ad-hoc” basis in addition to their primary job. The study also shows that these ad-hoc HR managers spend more than 13 hours a week on average on human resources tasks, taking significant time away from their core responsibilities.

Based on this time spent and the average wage of a small business employee, the study calculates that these small businesses are essentially paying $18,800 a year to have untrained staff manage the HR tasks of the business, which could equate to an annual total cost of $27 billion across the small business market. Despite this estimated loss of investment in core business functions, 98 percent of survey participants say they don’t plan to hire trained HR personnel.

Ad-hoc HR managers, or aHRMs as the study calls them, are small business owners, business leaders, office managers, accountants and finance staff who take on the HR role because there is no trained staff to do it. According to the study, this group says they don’t enjoy having HR responsibilities added to their work duties, and would prefer to give them up.

“Managing the HR function traditionally has been challenging for small businesses,” said Brian Michaud, senior vice president of ADP TotalSource®. “So it’s not surprising that small business owners have had to resort to handing the HR function to an employee who might not have an HR background. That’s just the way many small businesses evolve.

“We understand these challenges very well,” Michaud continued. “But handling employees’ crucial HR information, compliance activities, and benefits enrollment is no place to skimp. Small businesses may benefit from access to a dedicated small-business HR support team that can help them implement rock-solid HR best practices and navigate the effect of changing regulations on their businesses.”

ADP embarked on the research to explore who in small businesses handles HR and human capital management tasks and responsibilities; how small businesses delegate the work for this function; what impact that choice has on small businesses’ operations, and to gather a glimpse into the opportunity cost of this phenomenon.

The company surveyed a nationally representative sample of U.S. businesses with between five and 49 employees. More than 1,000 business representatives completed the online survey. Of those respondents, 75 percent characterized their firms as “established” or “mature,” which indicates that this practice isn’t primarily a start-up business phenomenon, as one might expect.

Many aHRMs, it found, are concerned about the risk inherent in non-trained staff managing HR; that their lack of training could put their companies at risk. The top areas of concern are talent management, compliance, HR policy enforcement, and employee safety. Only one in five aHRMs is fully confident in his or her ability to manage HR tasks without making a mistake. And four out of five are concerned about their ability to keep up with future changes in HR regulations.

Other findings from the study revealed that:

Almost 75 percent of aHRMs are concerned about accurately and consistently adhering to HR compliance regulations.

82 percent of aHRMs have no formal HR education or certification.

Half of aHRMs are not certain that the employees of the business know where to turn with HR questions, and two-thirds have some concerns about employees getting the correct benefits information necessary to protect them and/or their loved ones.

Half of aHRMs handle the HR tasks manually using paper or spreadsheets, and fewer than one in four fully agree they have the tools to do the job properly.

The number one thing aHRMs feel would help them manage their HR tasks is to partner with an HR expert.

“These findings tell us that we have a tremendous opportunity to help small businesses possibly avoid costly HR mistakes and potentially save precious time and money by making our HR expertise available to them,” Michaud said. “We’ve found that when we do what we do best, we can help companies do what they do best as they manage their businesses, and workforces, for growth.”

An action paper and infographic featuring results from the ADP Ad-hoc Human Resource Management Study can be found on the ADP website.

About ADP (NASDAQ: ADP)
Powerful technology plus a human touch. Companies of all types and sizes around the world rely on ADP cloud software and expert insights to help unlock the potential of their people. HR. Talent. Benefits. Payroll. Compliance. Working together to build a better workforce. For more information, visit ADP.com.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on the June 2017 Employment Situation report:

“June’s unemployment numbers were little changed at 4.4 percent from the previous month’s level of 4.3 percent. Non-farm payroll employment rose by 222,000 jobs. 187,000 private sector jobs were created in June, and 821,000 private sector jobs have been added to the economy during the five months since January 2017. Job growth was strong in the sectors of mining and logging, financial activities, and education and health services. Since January, the unemployment rate has dropped by 0.4 percent and is well below the pre-recession rate of 5.3 percent

“This month’s robust job creation and moderate wage growth has direct impact on American families.

“The U.S. Department of Labor is working to ensure that all Americans who want a good job can find a good job and that businesses are able to hire the skilled workers they require. We are committed to unleashing the economic power of the American people so every citizen has the ability to reach his or her full potential.”

MILWAUKEE, — ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) today launches “Learnability Week” to help people develop their skills and remain employable for the long term. Throughout the week, more than 25 ManpowerGroup markets across the globe will host events to help people nurture their learnability – the desire and ability to learn new skills and build long-term employability. Some of the activities include:

Promoting ManpowerGroup’s free web-based Learnability Quotient (LQ)™ digital assessment on social media, enabling millions of people at all stages of their careers to discover their unique learning style.
Hosting a partnership webinar with Junior AchievementEurope in which ManpowerGroup experts share practical tips for young people to get work ready, not just graduate ready. The webinar will be recorded and shared worldwide.
Launching a new “Leaders on Learnability” YouTube film series that shares insights from leaders at companies like Facebook, Unilever, PwC and KPMG on how they learn, how they encourage learning in their organizations and why learnability is critical for business success.
ManpowerGroup designed its LQ™ assessment in partnership with Hogan X, the analytics division of Hogan Assessments. The LQ™ assessment helps individuals discover how they learn and enables businesses to better understand the learning styles of their people. As organizations seek to invest and develop their employees, having insight into these metrics will provide guidance on how to best enable performance and make better decisions on how to motivate their workforce.

“When new skills are emerging just as fast as others are becoming obsolete, employability now depends less on what you already know and more on your ability to learn, apply and adapt. Helping people upskill for a fast-changing world of work will be the defining challenge of our time,” said Jonas Prising, Chairman & CEO, ManpowerGroup. “Nobody owns the corner on learnability – it has the potential to be a great equalizer. Everyone can get learning-ready and capture the opportunities the Skills Revolution creates. That’s why we’re celebrating Learnability Week across the globe – helping people discover how they learn so they can stay employable for the long term.”

Find your LQ™ at learnability.manpowergroup.com and share on social media using the hashtag #HowILearn.

About ManpowerGroupManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for over 400,000 clients and connect 3+ million people to meaningful, sustainable work across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower®, Experis®, Right Management® and ManpowerGroup® Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across 80 countries and territories and has done so for nearly 70 years. In 2017, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the seventh consecutive year and one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup is powering the future of work: www.manpowergroup.com

About the Learnability Quotient (LQ)™ AssessmentThe Learnability Quotient (LQ)™ is a web-based visual assessment developed by ManpowerGroup, the leading global workforce solutions company, and Hogan X, the new analytics division of Hogan Assessments, the leading provider of personality assessments. This short, responsive assessment identifies an individual’s LQ™ to provide insight into their motivation and style of learning. Results are expressed via three dimensions – Adventurous, Intellectual and Unconventional – and LQ™ helps organizations and individuals to succeed. For more information, visit www.learnabilityquotient.com.

The trade deficit in goods with China ballooned by 13.8 percent year-over-year while the overall trade deficit increased by 5 percent since March as imports increased slightly and exports declined following the release of the April 2017 International Trade in Goods and Services monthly data by the Department of Commerce.

“While the overall trade deficit continues to grow, it is too soon for the numbers to reflect the recent deal with China and other actions of this Administration is taking to level the balance of trade,” said Secretary Ross. “We look forward to the July 16 deadline which will open up the Chinese market to American beef, liquefied natural gas and other products.”

The U.S. goods and services deficit with China increased 5.4 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017 growing from $77.714 billion to $81.901 billion.

The trade deficit widened month-to-month with China from 24.6 billion in March to 27.6 billion in April.

While the trade deficit with China grew, there was improvement in other areas. April exports to South Korea were the highest ever on record, while exports to Japan were the largest since August of 2014.

Year-to-date, the goods and services deficit increased $9.4 billion, or 7.5 percent, from the same period in 2016. Exports increased $38.0 billion or 7.1 percent. Imports increased $47.5 billion or 7.1 percent.

The April increase in the goods and services deficit reflected an increase in the goods deficit of $2.3 billion to $68.4 billion and a decrease in the services surplus of less than $0.1 billion to $20.8 billion.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on the May 2017 Employment Situation report:

“May’s unemployment rate ticked down to 4.3 percent from the previous month’s level of 4.4 percent. The unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since May 2001, dropping 0.5 percentage points since President Trump took office. Non-farm payroll employment rose by 138,000 jobs, a positive sign that our economy is moving in the right direction. More than 600,000 private-sector jobs have been created since Inauguration Day. Multiple economic sectors showed job growth in May, including education and health services and mining. The mining sector posted its seventh straight month of employment increases.

“These continued improvements have real impact on the lives of American families, as more people take home a paycheck. Their spending will benefit themselves, their families, and the nation’s economy.

“While we continue to grow the economy, the U.S. Department of Labor is also working diligently to ensure that businesses have the workers they need, and that all Americans can find good, safe jobs by narrowing the skills gap in the labor market. Our shared mission is to expand economic opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.

Vital Voices Global Partnership and Bank of America are recognizing the fifth year of the Global Ambassadors Program (#GlobalAmbassadors), an initiative that advances women’s economic empowerment through mentoring, by convening the program in the U.S. for the first time. The Global Ambassadors Program kicks off this week in Charlotte, N.C., with additional programs to be held this fall in Chicago, Ill. and Los Angeles, Calif.

The Global Ambassadors Program connects a group of extraordinary women entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders to a unique mentorship and skills-building opportunity – pairing them with accomplished women executives from a range of sectors and organizations, including Bank of America, to enhance their business acumen at a pivotal point in their careers. Since 2012, the Global Ambassadors Program has been held in 13 locations around the world – including Haiti, South Africa, India, and Brazil – reaching more than 100 women leaders from more than 60 countries. Since 2013, more than 67 percent of mentees have reported an increase in sales and revenue growth following the program.

“The Global Ambassadors Program is part of a larger effort at Bank of America to empower women around the world and drive economic mobility,” said Andrea Smith, chief administrative officer, Bank of America. “When we invest in women and women entrepreneurs, it benefits the economy and communities where they live and work, helping everyone thrive.”

The Charlotte program will pair 12 Global Ambassadors (mentors) with mentees – women who are running small businesses and nonprofits in North Carolina, Cambodia, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe – to enhance skills in key areas including leadership, financial management, business strategy and communications.

“We’re proud to partner with Bank of America to convene the Charlotte Global Ambassadors Program, which will bring together truly inspiring women to push through barriers so they can ultimately make their mark as the next generation of leaders poised to drive economic growth and social change,” said Alyse Nelson, president and CEO of Vital Voices.

In conjunction with the Charlotte program, Bank of America and Vital Voices will host a thought leadership event, “Women Driving Economic & Social Progress” (#WomenLead), to underscore how women are driving change. Speakers include Christy Turlington Burns, Every Mother Counts founder and chief executive officer; Andrea Smith, Bank of America chief administrative officer; and Melanne Verveer, Seneca Women co-founder and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security executive director.

The Global Ambassadors (mentors) for the Charlotte program are:

Dr. Dawn E. Chanland, associate professor of management, Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C.
Dilek Dayinlarli, founder and managing partner, ScaleX, Istanbul, Turkey
Nigest Haile, founder and executive director, Center for Accelerated Women’s Economic Empowerment, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Catherine Wilson Horne, president and CEO, Discovery Place, Charlotte, N.C.
Terri McCullough, former director of No Ceilings Project; consultant, Women and Girls’ Empowerment, New York, N.Y.
Debra Moore, system chief of staff and executive vice president, Carolinas Health Care, Charlotte, N.C.
Michelle Moore, head of digital banking, Bank of America, Charlotte, N.C.
Kathy Parks, senior credit review executive, Bank of America, Charlotte, N.C.
Moira Quinn, COO, Charlotte Center City Partners, Charlotte, N.C.
Oulimata Sarr, regional economic empowerment advisor, UN Women, Dakar, Senegal
Karen Starns, senior vice president of global marketing, Pearson, Seattle, Wash.
Marie L. Wieck, general manager, IBM Blockchain, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
The mentees for the Charlotte program are:

Ibilola Amao Ph.D., principal consultant, Lonadek Limited, Lagos, Nigeria
Karen Bennetts, owner, Little Red Bird, Charlotte, N.C.
Melissa Bodford, co-founder, chairman and CEO, uBack, Charlotte, N.C.
Norm “Anak” Bunnak, director, VillageWorks Songkhem Co. Ltd., Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Rana El Chemaitelly, founder, The Little Engineer, Beirut, Lebanon
Valrie Grant, founder and managing director, GeoTechVision, Kingston, Jamaica
Brenda Harris, owner/director, BPN Healthcare Concepts, LLC, Charlotte, N.C.
Sandi Kronick, CEO, Eastern Carolina Organics, Durham, N.C.
Apra Kuchhal, owner, Handi Restaurant, Jaipur, India
Patience Magodo, managing consultant, Tafadzwa Ne Chiedza Development Trust, Harare, Zimbabwe
Juna Mathema, managing director and co-founder, Bliz Media P. Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal
Josefina Urzaiz, co-founder, Hammock Boutique Inc., D.C. and Merida, Mexico
The Global Ambassadors Program is part of Bank of America and Vital Voices’ ongoing commitment to investing in women’s leadership development, a goal guided by the belief that strong leaders are important for developing healthy, vibrant communities, and advancing economic growth. Bank of America invests in helping women make meaningful contributions within the company and supports the economic empowerment of women in local communities and around the world.

For more information on the Global Ambassadors Program, visit www.bankofamerica.com/globalambassadors. Follow @BofA_News and @VitalVoices for updates via #GlobalAmbassadors.

Vital Voices Global Partnership
Vital Voices Global Partnership invests in women leaders who improve the world. Founded by then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, and guided by the belief that women are essential to progress in their communities, it has partnered with leaders from more than 144 countries who advance economic opportunity, increase political and public leadership, and end violence against women. Programs in strategic planning, business, advocacy and communications build critical skills needed for creating transformational change at scale. Through its global platform, women leaders expand their connections and visibility, accelerating shared progress for all. Visit www.vitalvoices.org to learn more.

Bank of America
At Bank of America, our focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is critical to fulfilling our purpose of helping make people’s financial lives better. Our commitment to growing our business responsibly is embedded in every aspect of our company. It is demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our customers, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocate groups, such as community and environmental organizations, in order to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about, and connect with us on Twitter at @BofA_News.

President of the United States Donald Trump and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping agreed at their Mar-a-Lago meeting to advance U.S. – China economic cooperation with a 100-day action plan under the framework of the U.S. – China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue. Under the leadership of the co-chairs, Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross of the United States and Vice Premier Wang Yang of China, both nations have negotiated intensively to make progress on key issues. The three co-chairs reached consensus on initial commitments under the 100-day plan and objectives for next steps.

In approximately one month following the Presidential Summit, the two sides reached consensus on addressing issues in areas including agricultural trade, financial services, investment, and energy. For details, see the U.S.-China joint fact sheet below.

Both sides also identified other issues that will require significant effort to resolve and achieve progress on within the 100-day period. Both sides further committed to strengthen communication and coordination to jointly advance those issues and achieve resolution as soon as possible. Further, as concrete progress is made in implementing the actions under the 100-day plan, the two sides will begin discussing a one-year plan to further solidify actions in promoting U.S. – China economic engagement and cooperation. Following implementation of the 100-day plan, the United States and China look forward to deepening engagement on these and other issues at the first meeting of the Comprehensive Economic Dialogue, to be held in the United States in the summer of 2017.

Initial Actions of the U.S.-China Economic Cooperation 100-Day Plan

1. Following one more round of technical consultations between the United States and China, China is to allow imports of U.S. beef on conditions consistent with international food safety and animal health standards and consistent with the 1999 Agricultural Cooperation Agreement, beginning as soon as possible but no later than July 16, 2017.

2. The United States and China are to resolve outstanding issues for the import of China origin cooked poultry to the United States as soon as possible, and after reaching consensus, the United States is to publish a proposed rule by July 16, 2017, at the latest, with the United States realizing China poultry exports as soon as possible.

3. China’s National Biosafety Committee (NBC) is to hold a meeting by the end of May 2017, to conduct science-based evaluations of all eight pending U.S. biotechnology product applications to assess the safety of the products for their intended use. No additional information unrelated to safety assessment for intended use is to be requested of the applicants. For any product that does not pass the safety evaluation at the NBC meeting held in May 2017, the NBC is to operate with transparency by providing in writing to the applicants a complete list of requested‎ information necessary to finalize the safety assessment for the products’ intended use, along with an explanation of how the requested information would be relevant to the safety of the products’ intended use. The NBC is to hold meetings as frequently and as soon as possible after an application is resubmitted in order to finalize reviews of remaining applications without undue delay. For the products that pass the safety evaluations of the NBC, China is to grant certificates within 20 working days in accordance with Administrative License Law of the People’s Republic of China.

4. The United States welcomes China, as well as any of our trading partners, to receive imports of LNG from the United States. The United States treats China no less favorably than other non-FTA trade partners with regard to LNG export authorizations. Companies from China may proceed at any time to negotiate all types of contractual arrangement with U.S. LNG exporters, including long-term contracts, subject to the commercial considerations of the parties. As of April 25, 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy had authorized 19.2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas exports to non-FTA countries.

5. By July 16, 2017, China is to allow wholly foreign-owned financial services firms in China to provide credit rating services, and to begin the licensing process for credit investigation.

6. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) intends to extend by July 16, 2017 the current no-action relief to Shanghai Clearing House for six months, with further extensions amounting to up to three years, if appropriate and consistent with the conditions set forth in the no-action relief. The People’s Bank of China and the CFTC are to work towards a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning the cooperation and the exchange of information related to the oversight of cross-border clearing organizations.

7. By July 16, 2017, China is to issue any further necessary guidelines and allow wholly U.S.-owned suppliers of electronic payment services (EPS) to begin the licensing process. This should lead to full and prompt market access. China is to continue to allow Chinese banks to issue dual brand-dual currency bankcards that allow U.S. EPS suppliers to process foreign currency payment card transactions.

8. The applicable U.S. federal regulatory authorities remain committed to apply in the United States the same bank prudential supervisory and regulatory standards to Chinese banking institutions as to other foreign banking institutions, in like circumstances and in accordance with U.S. law.

9. China is to issue both bond underwriting and settlement licenses to two qualified U.S. financial institutions by July 16, 2017.

10. The United States recognizes the importance of China’s One Belt and One Road initiative and is to send delegates to attend the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing May 14-15.

The United States welcomes direct investment by Chinese entrepreneurs as it does by entrepreneurs from other countries. The United States welcomes Chinese participation in the SelectUSA Investment Summit that will be held June 18-20 in Washington D.C.

Baden-Baden, the German spa town built on ancient thermal springs, is a fitting venue to discuss the health of the global economy during this week’s meeting of the Group of Twenty finance ministers and central bank governors.

Policymakers will likely share a sense of growing optimism, because the recent strengthening of activity suggests that the world economy may finally snap out of its multi-year convalescence.

Economic prescriptions have played an important part in the recovery, and will continue to do so for some time. Maintaining the positive growth momentum continues to require supportive macroeconomic policies. And the participants at the meetings will need to take action, individually and collectively, to make growth more inclusive and resilient.

Have we reached a turning point? The short answer is yes—at least for now. Growth outturns in the second half of last year were generally solid. Manufacturing and confidence indicators are picking up, and there are signs that global trade volumes are rising along with them.

That is why the International Monetary Fund in January projected a pickup in global growth this year and next—to 3.4 and 3.6 percent—compared to 3.1 percent in 2016.

The improved outlook partly reflects a projected pickup in advanced economy activity—helped by expectations of more expansionary US fiscal policy.
We are especially encouraged by stronger-than-expected economic activity in the euro area, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Emerging and developing economies, led by China and India, continue to contribute more than three-quarters of total global GDP growth in 2017. Adding to this is a projected normalization of conditions in Brazil and Russia, which have been facing deep recessions.

So, yes, the global economy is moving into a better position. But it would be a mistake to assume that it will automatically return to rude health.
In fact, there has rarely been a period when policy choices have mattered more for what comes next, especially since there are still considerable risks to the outlook.
Maintaining the momentum
In a number of advanced economies, for example, demand is still weak and inflation is not durably back to target. This calls for continued monetary support and a greater emphasis on fiscal policy in countries that have room in their budgets. These steps should be combined with structural reforms to lift productivity and boost long-term growth.

Lack of demand is less of a problem in the United States, where growth would benefit more from efforts to expand supply, such as investment to revamp infrastructure, efficiency-enhancing corporate tax reform, and improvements in education.

Stronger US growth would certainly be good for the global economy, but a changing US policy mix may also create knock-on effects, or spillovers. For example, depending on the nature of the US policy mix, a stronger dollar and rising US interest rates could lead to a sharper-than-expected tightening in global financial conditions. This could potentially put stress on some emerging economies and low-income countries.

Sustaining the current growth momentum would also be helped by a successful transition toward slower but more balanced growth in China, and by further policy actions on the part of commodity exporters as they continue to adjust to lower commodity prices.

Above all, we should collectively avoid self-inflicted injuries. This requires steering clear of policies that would seriously undermine trade, migration, capital flows, and the sharing of technologies across borders. Such measures would hurt the productivity, incomes, and living standards of all citizens.

Global economic integration
Trade and technological innovation have allowed countries to grow the economic pie and improve living standards, while lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Yet more could be done to mitigate the unwelcome side-effects seen in some places—including a rise in income inequality, job losses in shrinking sectors, and protracted economic and social problems across structurally weaker regions.

How can this be done? This is not an easy task, but it can start with boosting growth, and sharing the benefits more widely.

A critical first step is to get serious about inclusive growth. We have yet to fully understand the complex web of economic challenges faced by different cultures, regions, and demographic groups. We do know, however, that higher-skilled workers are much more likely to benefit from innovation and economic openness.

This calls for greater efforts to equip lower-skilled workers with the tools they need to seek and find better-paying jobs, such as targeted education programs, skills training, and employment incentives.

These active labor market policies can help ease workers’ transitions to new employment. Their funding varies significantly across countries. Denmark, for instance, spends 1.9 percent of GDP on such policies, compared with 0.1 percent in the United States.

Of course, spending more money is not enough; it must be spent more efficiently. Some initiatives have proven to be cost-effective—such as well-designed assistance for job search and job matching.

More broadly, all countries need to actively promote life-long learning to prepare citizens for technological changes. Singapore, for example, offers unconditional grants to all adults for training throughout their working lives.

Another priority for inclusive growth is the retooling of income policies and tax systems.
In-work tax incentives and higher minimum wages can be helpful in some countries. So, too, can changes to tax and benefit systems, including more progressive income taxation.

IMF research shows that avoiding excessive inequality will help, not hinder, growth. We also know that policy tradeoffs can be minimized: for example, most countries would benefit from reforms that make their tax systems more equitable and more efficient.
In short, we have the capacity—and responsibility—to grow the economic pie, which will facilitate sharing it more equitably.
Effective international cooperation will maximize the benefits of national policies if we:
step up efforts to address global external imbalances and complete reforms to strengthen financial systems;
protect and reinforce trade as an engine of broadly shared growth; and
work together to resolve some of the most pressing issues of our time, from global security and health issues to coping with natural disasters and climate change.

G20 policymakers can move the needle on all these issues. After years of being stuck in a weak recovery, the world economy needs to move on, shape up, and generate greater prosperity for all. What better place than Baden-Baden for leaders to recommit themselves to achieving robust global economic health?

With women being paid an average of 23 per cent less than men, the United Nations has launched a high-profile network to call for equal pay for work of equal value.

“We want equal pay now,” yelled Academy Award-winning American actress Patricia Arquette and two-time Olympic gold medalist and soccer superstar Abby Wambach, leading a call in the UN General Assembly Hall yesterday evening at the launch of the Equal Pay Platform of Champions.

The launch of the Platform – which is part of a broader UN International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women Global Equal Pay Coalition – coincided with the opening day of the 61st Commission on the Status of Women, known as the largest inter-governmental forum on women’s rights and gender equality. The theme this year is on women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work.

“The gender pay gap reflects the unjustifiably diminished position of many women in society and helps to keep them there,” said UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

Pointing to the big names participating in the Platform – which in addition to Ms. Arquette and Ms. Wambach include leaders from the trade unions, civil society, government, private sector, film makers – Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka said she hopes their advocacy will make women’s “flagrant inequality a think of the past.”

The goal of the Platform is to call for increased support by proactively reaching out to decision and policy makers, according to a press release from the event.

Speaking at the launch, Ms. Arquette said that “women sometimes become invisible if they’re not seen beyond the value of the men they are with.”

According to global figures, women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn for the same position. Over time, the income inequality results in more women retiring into poverty.

“The quest for women’s economic empowerment will be lost or won in the world of work,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. He noted the importance of whether and how women enter the work place and in what types of jobs.

One of the main reasons for the gender gap is that women tend to be concentrated in different jobs than men – for example in teaching or health care – which tend to be underpaid.

There are also differences for men and women who are in the same line of work.

Also speaking at the event, Ms. Wambach said that she was “angry because I have to worry about paying my bills, even though I won more World Cups than Cristiano,” referring to the Portuguese soccer player.

Ahead of the launch, UN Women kicked off its #StopTheRobbery campaign to mobilize ordinary people and raise awareness about the gender pay gap.

In the week ending March 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 243,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 236,500, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 234,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.5 percent for the week ending February 25, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending February 25 was 2,058,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 2,000 from 2,066,000 to 2,064,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,065,500, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 500 from 2,071,250 to 2,070,750

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 243,937 in the week ending March 4, an increase of 31,108 (or 14.6 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 10,708 (or 5.0 percent) from the previous week. There were 247,628 initial claims in the comparable week in 2016.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.8 percent during the week ending February 25, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,445,046, an increase of 52,574 (or 2.2 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 59,863 (or 2.5 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,600,820.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending February 18 was 2,434,335, a decrease of 99,058 from the previous week. There were 2,719,852 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2016.

No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending February 18. Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 619 in the week ending February 25, a decrease of 109 from the prior week. There were 640 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 170 from the preceding week.

There were 14,012 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending February 18, an increase of 414 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 11,649, a decrease of 148 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending February 18 were in Alaska (4.4), New Jersey (3.1), Connecticut (2.9), Montana (2.9), Rhode Island (2.9), Massachusetts (2.7), Pennsylvania (2.7), Puerto Rico (2.7), Illinois (2.6), and California (2.5).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending February 25 were in Massachusetts (+3,006), Rhode Island (+981), Vermont (+212), Maine (+151), and Louisiana (+142), while the largest decreases were in California (-5,600), Michigan (-3,394), Pennsylvania (-2,762), Washington (-2,179), and New York (-1,980).

WASHINGTON – For many of our nation’s at-risk youth, getting educated and starting a successful career are goals often out of reach. Across the U.S., YouthBuild programs seek to help these young people reach their full potential by providing critical job skills in construction to help propel them towards professional success.

Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of grant funding to support and expand YouthBuild programs nationwide. For those programs that offer the “YouthBuild Construction Plus” model, participating youth can take advantage of expanded occupational skills training in additional in-demand occupations, such as health care, information technology or logistics.

Grants awarded through this funding opportunity will range from $700,000 to $1.1 million each to provide education and employment services to disadvantaged youth in communities across the country.

This year’s funding availability, while maintaining the strong YouthBuild model, incorporates some changes to the program, including:

Inclusion of evaluation criteria related to the submission of complete and accurate work site submissions and employer engagement strategies.
Removal of program calendar and organizational chart requirements.
Encouraged viewing of a prospective applicant pre-recorded webinar.
YouthBuild is a non-residential, community-based alternative education program that provides classroom instruction and occupational skills training in construction and other in-demand occupations to at-risk youth and young adults from ages 16 to 24. Participants learn valuable skills as they build or rehabilitate housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their communities.

For additional information on grant eligibility and how to apply for funds, visit http://www.grants.gov.

A major milestone for the global trading system was reached on 22 February 2017 when the first multilateral deal concluded in the 21 year history of the World Trade Organization entered into force. In receiving four more ratifications for the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the WTO has obtained the two-thirds acceptance of the agreement from its 164 members needed to bring the TFA into force.

Rwanda, Oman, Chad and Jordan submitted their instruments of acceptance to WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, bringing the total number of ratifications over the required threshold of 110. The entry into force of this agreement, which seeks to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods across borders, launches a new phase for trade facilitation reforms all over the world and creates a significant boost for commerce and the multilateral trading system as a whole.

Full implementation of the TFA is forecast to slash members’ trade costs by an average of 14.3 per cent, with developing countries having the most to gain, according to a 2015 study carried out by WTO economists. The TFA is also likely to reduce the time needed to import goods by over a day and a half and to export goods by almost two days, representing a reduction of 47 per cent and 91 per cent respectively over the current average.

Implementing the TFA is also expected to help new firms export for the first time. Moreover, once the TFA is fully implemented, developing countries are predicted to increase the number of new products exported by as much as 20 per cent, with least developed countries (LDCs) likely to see an increase of up to 35 per cent, according to the WTO study.

DG Azevêdo welcomed the TFA’s entry into force, noting that the Agreement represents a landmark for trade reform. He said:

“This is fantastic news for at least two reasons. First, it shows members’ commitment to the multilateral trading system and that they are following through on the promises made in Bali. Second, it means we can now start implementing the Agreement, helping to cut trade costs around the world. It also means we can kick start technical assistance work to help poorer countries with implementation.

“This would boost global trade by up to 1 trillion dollars each year, with the biggest gains being felt in the poorest countries. The impact will be bigger than the elimination of all existing tariffs around the world.

“But this is not the end of the road. The real work is just beginning. This is the biggest reform of global trade in a generation. It can make a big difference for growth and development around the world. Now, working together, we have the responsibility to implement the Agreement to make those benefits a reality.”

The Agreement is unique in that it allows developing and least-developed countries to set their own timetables for implementing the TFA depending on their capacities to do so. A Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) was created at the request of developing and least-developed countries to help ensure they receive the assistance needed to reap the full benefits of the TFA and to support the ultimate goal of full implementation of the new agreement by all members. Further information on TFAF is available at www.TFAFacility.org.

Developed countries have committed to immediately implement the Agreement, which sets out a broad series of trade facilitation reforms. Spread out over 12 articles, the TFA prescribes many measures to improve transparency and predictability of trading across borders and to create a less discriminatory business environment. The TFA’s provisions include improvements to the availability and publication of information about cross-border procedures and practices, improved appeal rights for traders, reduced fees and formalities connected with the import/export of goods, faster clearance procedures and enhanced conditions for freedom of transit for goods. The Agreement also contains measures for effective cooperation between customs and other authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues.

Developing countries, in comparison, will immediately apply only the TFA provisions they have designated as “Category A” commitments. For the other provisions of the Agreement, they must indicate when these will be implemented and what capacity building support is needed to help them implement these provisions, known as Category B and C commitments. These can be implemented at a later date with least-developed countries given more time to notify these commitments. So far, notifications of Category A commitments have already been provided by 90 WTO members.

As of today, the following WTO members have accepted the TFA: Hong Kong China, Singapore, the United States, Mauritius, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Botswana, Trinidad and Tobago, the Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Niger, Belize, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, China, Liechtenstein, Lao PDR, New Zealand, Togo, Thailand, the European Union (on behalf of its 28 member states), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Pakistan, Panama, Guyana, Côte d’Ivoire, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Myanmar, Norway, Viet Nam, Brunei Darussalam, Ukraine, Zambia, Lesotho, Georgia, Seychelles, Jamaica, Mali, Cambodia, Paraguay, Turkey, Brazil, Macao China, the United Arab Emirates, Samoa, India, the Russian Federation, Montenegro, Albania, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Madagascar, the Republic of Moldova, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Senegal, Uruguay, Bahrain, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Iceland, Chile, Swaziland, Dominica, Mongolia, Gabon, the Kyrgyz Republic, Canada, Ghana, Mozambique, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Nigeria, Nepal, Rwanda, Oman, Chad and Jordan.

The acceptance process involves WTO members ratifying a Protocol of Amendment to insert the TFA into Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement. Members who have not done this are still required to do so.

More information on the WTO and trade facilitation is available at www.wto.org/tradefacilitation.

Geneva, Switzerland, – The World Economic Forum has signed an agreement to boost multistakeholder cooperation on environmental policy with the China Council on International Cooperation on Environment and Development, an influential advisory body to China’s State Council. The CCICED includes Chinese and international experts.

The MoU comes shortly after Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, stressed the importance of the UN Paris Climate Agreement in his keynote address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos as “a hard-won achievement that is in keeping with the underlying trend of global development.”

The collaboration will explore how circular and sharing-economy models can create a more resource-efficient society in China, and will also focus on other areas including oceans, the potential of new technologies for the environment, and climate change. An early output will involve research using anonymized data from sharing-economy companies and the analytical support of the MIT Senseable Cities Lab.

China has ambitious plans to reduce waste and tackle carbon emissions. Its government has promoted the recirculation of waste materials through targets, policies, financial measures and legislation. The goal is a “circular economy”, which includes closing industrial loops to turn outputs from one manufacturer into inputs for another and reducing the consumption of virgin materials and the generation of waste.

“In the past decade, China has made important progress in both the theory and practice of the circular economy, bringing environmental and economic benefits to key industries. For instance, with an annual output of over 2 trillion yuan, the resource recycling industry is growing by 15% annually and employs more than 30 million people. The application of big data and a new round of technological revolution will deepen regional and international cooperation in circular economy, and facilitate the realization of 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” said Fang Li, Assistant Secretary-General of CCICED Secretariat, and Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, People’s Republic of China.

“China is pursuing the world’s largest public-private renewable energy and green-infrastructure investment programme and is also committed to accelerating the circular and sharing economy, driven by technology and business-model innovation to promote mass innovation and entrepreneurialism and to decouple growth from resource use. Through this unprecedented collaboration, which includes harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution for the environment, we are delighted to help support China’s leadership in environment and economic transformation,” said Dominic Waughray, Head of Public-Private Partnership and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum.

“This collaboration shows China’s commitment to exploring new economic models for sustainable and inclusive growth. We believe that our joint work will yield important case studies and policy recommendations for leaders. We hope that this partnership can serve as a role model for collaboration with other thought leaders in China who are committed to improving the state of the world,” said David Aikman, Chief Representative Officer, China, and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum.

The collaboration will form part of the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, a global project with regional hubs in China, Africa, North America, Latin America and Europe. The platform is chaired by Frans van Houten, President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Philips, Netherlands; Naoko Ishii, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility, USA; and Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi. It is hosted by the World Economic Forum with support from Accenture Strategy.

The agreement was signed at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017 by Fang, Aikman and Waughray, and It was witnessed by Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada, and International Executive Vice-Chair of the CCICED, who added: “China can play an important role in accelerating the shift to a clean-growth economy. I am very pleased to see the Council build on its accomplishments by joining this new partnership.”

A key collaborator in the World Economic Forum’s circular economy initiative is the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Dame Ellen MacArthur, its founder said: “In 2009, China was the first country to adopt circular-economy legislation, clearly recognizing the need to address the gap between anticipated economic demand and the supply of finite resources. Today’s announced collaboration between the Chinese government and the World Economic Forum, which is committed to accelerating the transition to a circular economy, sends a very strong signal of the importance of this topic and its take-up globally.”

“Accenture Strategy is pleased to see this MoU signed for the Chinese Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy. We look forward to assisting the work of the hub on transforming consumption patterns through sharing and circular models, and to helping enable mass entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Peter Lacy, Global Managing Director, Strategy and Sustainability, Accenture, United Kingdom.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 227,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in retail trade, construction, and financial activities.

Household Survey Data
Both the number of unemployed persons, at 7.6 million, and the unemployment rate, at 4.8 percent, were little changed in January. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Asians (3.7 percent) increased in January. The jobless rates for adult men (4.4 percent), adult women (4.4 percent), teenagers (15.0 percent), Whites (4.3 percent), Blacks (7.7 percent), and Hispanics (5.9 percent) showed little or no change over the month.

In January, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was essentially unchanged at 1.9 million and accounted for 24.4 percent of the unemployed. Over the year, the number of long-term unemployed has declined by 244,000.

After accounting for the annual adjustments to the population controls, the civilian labor force increased by 584,000 in January, and the labor force participation rate rose by 0.2 percentage point to 62.9 percent. Total employment, as measured by the household survey, was up by 457,000 over the month, and the employment-population ratio edged up to 59.9 percent. (See table A-1. For additional information about the effects of the population adjustments,

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed in January at 5.8 million. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find full-time jobs.

In January, 1.8 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, down by 337,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 532,000 discouraged workers in January, little changed from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.2 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in January had not searched for work for reasons such as school attendance or family
responsibilities.