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There were 3.2 million job openings on the last business day of July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The hires rate (3.0 percent) and separations rate (3.0 percent) were essentially unchanged over the month. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by geographic region.

New hunger data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that 14.5 percent of American households suffered from food insecurity in 2010. Although the figures are virtually unchanged from 2009 (14.7 percent) and 2008 (14.6 percent), they are still the highest on record since the USDA first began publishing food insecurity data. Nearly one in five children lives in households that struggle to put food on the table.

Despite the economic climate, the nonprofit sector remains resilient, according to Idealist.org, the leading nonprofit job search engine. In August the organization reported a 14 percent increase in job postings over the same month in 2010, an increase that aligns with findings from a survey Idealist conducted earlier this year, which found 91 percent of the 3,000 nonprofit organizations surveyed plan on either maintaining their current staffing levels or hiring new positions this year.

The benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate set a new record for the third consecutive week, dropping to 4.35 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.38 discount and origination points.

Consumer confidence fell in August for the third straight month, as the Discover U.S. Spending MonitorSM dropped to its lowest level since March 2009. Since January, the Monitor has been in a freefall, dropping nearly 13 points over the last eight months. The daily poll that tracks economic confidence and spending intentions of around 8,200 consumers a month now stands at 80.5, 2.2 points lower than July.

Generation Y investors are conservative investors and invest more like their Baby Boomer parents, despite their long-term time horizon, according to the MFS Investing Sentiment Survey. The survey offers an in-depth look into the investing habits and sentiments of Generation Y, the next large wave of investors that encompasses approximately 77 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 30 with nearly $1 trillion in spending power.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) decreased again in August to 100.8, down from July’s revised figure of 101. The August figure is up 4.1 percent from a year ago.

Nearly half of small businesses (40.7%) say they will hire in the next six months compared to 38.1% who say they do not plan to hire and 21.2% who don’t know. In light of increased concern about the economy and job growth, initial findings are released from the latest survey currently underway of privately-held businesses by the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project, conducted with the cooperation of Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. The poll of 7,502 small businesses (revenues of less than $5 million dollars) in the U.S. also found that economic uncertainty (38.2%), followed by access to capital (26.0%), and government regulations and taxes (24.2%) are the top three issues small businesses face today.

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in August for the 21st consecutive month, say the nation’s purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®.

According to a survey released by Hay Group, a global management consultancy, 68 percent of retailers expect holiday sales to increase this year. However, hiring plans remain conservative, with 67 percent of retailers hiring at the same level as last year and 25 percent hiring fewer seasonal workers.