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The median length of time that full-time workers stay in their jobs ticked up slightly in 2010, to just over five years, continuing a slow increase in job tenure that began in 2004, according to a new report by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

How many people are poor in the EU? Is inequality increasing? Does a job guarantee escape from poverty? Questions like these and many others on poverty and social exclusion as well as housing, health and education are analysed in the new publication Income and living conditions in Europe issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 40 days of the November – December 2010 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, more than $21.95 billion has been spent online, marking a 12-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week (week ending Dec. 10) reached $5.15 billion in spending, an increase of 11 percent versus the corresponding week last year, as two individual days each surpassed $900 million.

In the EU27, money sent by migrants to their country of origin, usually referred to as workers' remittances, had registered a constant increase over recent years. This trend has been interrupted by the economic crisis. Total EU27 outflows amounted to 30.3 billion euro in 2009, compared with 32.6 bn in 2008 (-7%). These figures include both intra-EU27 and extra-EU27 flows. The decrease in workers' remittances in 2009 compared with 2008 was almost the same for extra-EU27 flows (-7%) and for intra-EU27 flows (-6%). The share of extra-EU27 remittances in the total stood at 73% in 2009, the same level as in 2008.

The annual growth rate of the outstanding amount of debt securities issued by euro area residents was 3.1% in October 2010, compared with 3.0% in September. For the outstanding amount of quoted shares issued by euro area residents, the annual growth rate was 1.9% in October 2010, compared with 1.7% in September.

Legal actions tied to mortgage-lending jumped by more than 40 percent in the third quarter of the year based on the Mortgage Litigation Index.

As uncertainty about market conditions prevails, only 39% of the nation's leading private company executives surveyed for PwC US's Private Company Trendsetter Barometer voiced optimism about US economic growth over the next 12 months - down from the previous quarter's 45% and four points below a year ago. However, 45% of companies with international operations were optimistic about US economic growth, markedly more so than their domestic-only peers (35%). As for international marketers' optimism about the world economy, that rose to 43% (up six points from the second quarter).

What share of fresh water resources is being abstracted each year? How has the number of wild birds changed over the last 20 years? What share of GDP do environmental taxes account for? In which Member State is the most waste per capita generated? How much fertilizer is consumed in agriculture?

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Korea increased 1.1 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Korea declined 0.2 percent in October.

Stagnant wages, job insecurity and a steady decline in pension plan and retiree medical benefits have jeopardized the retirement security of many workers—but to different degrees. A new analysis by Aon Hewitt, the global human resource consulting and outsourcing business of Aon Corporation, reveals that Generation Y workers (those ages 18 to 30) may be most at risk from these trends despite having the most amount of time to save. Due to lack of participation in defined contribution plans, low savings rates and high rates of cashouts, eight in ten Generation Y workers will not meet all of their financial needs in retirement unless they significantly improve their saving and investing behaviors.