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Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in February. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rate decreases, 7 states registered rate increases, and 16 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, 7 states reported increases, and 2 states had no change. The national jobless rate was 8.9 percent in February, little changed from January but 0.8 percentage point lower than a year earlier.

Microsoft Corp. released its global "SMB Cloud Adoption Study 2011," which investigates how cloud computing will impact small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in the next three years. The research finds that 39 percent of SMBs expect to be paying for one or more cloud services within three years, an increase of 34 percent from the current 29 percent. It also finds that the number of cloud services SMBs pay for will nearly double in most countries over the next three years.

The arrival of spring brings not only warmer weather, but also spring cleaning and the undertaking of do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvement projects. Much to the chagrin of home improvement stores, the DIY home improvement market has seen a 21% decline from 2005-2010 according to latest research from Mintel, and more than a quarter (28%) of DIYers say they would like to undertake a major renovation or addition to their home, but they just don't have the funds.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.9 percent in February to 108.9 (2004 = 100), following a 0.7 percent increase in January and a 0.8 percent increase in December.

eBay Classifieds created a hot jobs map of America that shows which states in the US are the best to find employment. Reports show that 190,000 new jobs were created in February, and eBay Classifieds, who are all about helping people find jobs, show where these are.

In 2010, 12.4 percent of families included an unemployed person, up from 12.0 percent in 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The proportion of families with an unemployed member in 2010 was at its highest level since the data series began in 1994. Of the nation's 78.2 million families, 80.0 percent had at least one employed member in 2010, down from 80.4 percent in 2009.

March new-vehicle retail sales are showing stability through the first three weeks of the month, continuing a trend of monthly double-digit year-over-year increases, according to J.D. Power and Associates, which gathers real-time transaction data from more than 8,900 retail franchisees throughout the United States.

For the first time in two years, teens and college students able to land a summer job can expect to put more money in their pockets, and that job may be easier to find.

The majority of consumers around the world (60%) report they are very or somewhat satisfied with their healthcare coverage, according to new research with Survey Sampling International's global online panels. Germany (77%) and the UK (74%)- both of which have some form of universal healthcare coverage - show the highest levels of satisfaction. In contrast, Japan and China have the lowest levels of satisfaction, with just 35% of Japanese respondents and 39% of Chinese respondents saying they are very or somewhat satisfied with their coverage. The US results were most polarized. While 61% of Americans indicate they are very or somewhat satisfied with their coverage, 18%—more than any other country studied—fall at the opposite end of the spectrum, saying they are very or somewhat dissatisfied.

TrueCar.com, the authority on new car pricing, trends and forecasting, released its March 2011 sales and incentives forecast.