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Nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased at a 0.9 percent annual rate during the second quarter of 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, with output and hours rising 2.6 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. (All quarterly percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.) The decline in output per hour follows five quarters of strong productivity growth. The second-quarter gain in hours worked was the largest since the first quarter of 2006 when hours rose 4.1 percent. From the second quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2010, both productivity and output increased 3.9 percent; hours were unchanged.

The computer and video game industry added nearly $5 billion to the U.S. economy in 2009, according to a new study released today by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). The study, Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2010 Report, also found that the entertainment software industry's real annual growth rate from 2005 to 2009 exceeded 10 percent, more than seven times the growth rate of the U.S. economy as a whole.

While many U.S. companies initially hoped they could preserve much of their existing group health plans under the new grandfather provision, a new survey by Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company, shows that almost all now believe they will not. Ninety percent of companies said they anticipate losing grandfathered status by 2014, with the majority expecting to do so in the next two years.

Home values in the United States continued to decline in the second quarter of 2010, with the Zillow Home Value Index falling 3.2 percent year-over-year and 0.6 percent from the first quarter to $182,500. The national rate of decline decelerated from the first quarter, marking the second consecutive quarter of slowing declines, and negative equity fell to 21.5 percent, according to the second quarter Zillow Real Estate Market Reports.

Experian®, the global information services company, released its findings today on credit card trends, which provide insight into U.S. card usage. The study shows that nationally, consumers are opening 26 percent fewer credit cards* than they were three years ago. The study also reveals that out of the top metropolitan areas studied, the number of open bank cards were typically higher than retail credit cards, with the exception of four areas — Pittsburgh, Miami, Columbus and Atlanta — whose residents seem to favor their retail cards.

Elance released its quarterly Online Employment Report today, showing a steady rise in earnings for online talent, an emerging employment segment not yet reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the latest statistics from the Department of Labor reveal a job market that continues to struggle, data from the leading marketplace for online work shows that online professionals earned over $23 million in the second quarter of 2010 on Elance, which represents a 45% year-over-year increase – the steepest increase yet for 2010. Currently, more than 112,000 businesses are hiring online workers on Elance to grow their businesses.

With summer in full swing, Monster.com®, the leading job matching engine and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), recently polled its U.S. visitors to gauge whether the current economy is affecting vacation plans. With changes in the current job market, Americans are weighing the options of taking vacation and sick time, as well as working extra hours with no additional compensation. During the month of July, Monster’s series of U.S. polls looked at the following questions, producing some surprising results.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in July for the 14th month in a row. The index now stands at 97.0, up from June’s figure of 96.7. The index is up 9.8 percent from a year ago.

Unstable market fundamentals and uncertainty over government policy are among the significant concerns voiced by senior real estate executives about the economy's tepid performance and the commercial real estate sector's outlook for recovery, according to The Real Estate Roundtable's 3rd Quarter 2010 Sentiment Index.

The SFN Group Employee Confidence Index dropped 3.2 points to 48.4 in July. The index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, decreased as a result of more workers being concerned about the economy, job availability, and their personal employment situation.