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Small business employment and hours worked continued to grow in February with wages remaining flat. These are among the results of this month’s update of the Intuit Inc. Small Business Employment Index.

A national survey undertaken by the bipartisan polling firms of Hart Research and American Viewpoint indicates overwhelming public opposition (69% to 27%) to proposals to eliminate government funding of public broadcasting, with voters across the political spectrum opposed to such a cut, including 83% of Democrats, 69% of Independents, and 56% of Republicans. More than two-thirds (68%) of voters say that Congressional budget cutters should “find other places in the budget to save money.”

Looking ahead, President Obama most likely sees many battles forthcoming. There's the current budget showdown which has the potential to lead to a government shutdown. There is the labor issue and all eyes are watching to see how the White House responds to what is happening in Wisconsin. And then there is his own electoral battle, albeit 20 months from now, but still on the horizon.

Annual average unemployment rates in 2010 rose in 31 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 18 states, and remained the same in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment-population ratios decreased in 43 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 3 states, and were unchanged in 4 states. Jobless rates increased in three regions and decreased in one, and employment-population ratios declined in all four regions in 2010. The U.S. jobless rate rose by 0.3 percentage point from the prior year to 9.6 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by 0.8 point to 58.5 percent.

Employers took 1,534 mass layoff actions in January involving 149,799 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Each mass layoff event involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in January increased by 51 from December, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 11,807. In January, 341 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,189 initial claims; both figures increased over the month.

Consumer confidence climbed last week to the highest level since April 2008 as Americans grew less pessimistic about their finances.

U.S. employers are planning to give employees this year the largest merit increases since the start of the financial crisis, according to a new survey by Towers Watson, a global professional services company. The survey also found that the hiring freezes that were put into place during the recession are beginning to thaw, especially for professional and technical workers, and positions that require employees with critical skills.

The uptrend in existing-home sales continues, with January sales rising for the third consecutive month with a pace that is now above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

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

Investor demand for commercial real estate is slowly starting to increase in select secondary and tertiary markets, but it will be some time before most markets see significant improvement in price or rental growth, according to the CCIM Institute and the Real Estate Research Corporation (RERC).