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Air pollution rules being proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the electric power sector will provide economic benefits and jobs across much of the United States, concentrated especially in the next five years, according to a new report from Ceres announced at the 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference.

comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending December 2010. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and smartphone operating system (OS) platforms in the U.S. according to their share of current mobile subscribers ages 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber’s primary mobile phone. The December report found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 24.8 percent market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 31.6 percent market share.

Over the past two years, the youngest generation in the workforce has become more engaged in learning about the benefits that can help protect them financially, according to studies of generation Y conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Unum.

Kronos Incorporated announced the February release of the Kronos Retail Labor Index™, a family of metrics and indices that analyze the relationship between the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, and provide a distinct and early indicator of the overall state of the economy. The February report includes data for January 2011.

The January CBIZ Small Business Employment Index, which is designed to serve as a barometer for hiring trends among companies with 300 or fewer employees, decreased by 2.62 percent through the month, after posting an increase of 1.54 in December; a 4 percent drop month over month.

According to results of Deloitte's annual "Look Before You Leap" survey of corporate executives, investment bankers, private equity executives and hedge fund managers, 63 percent of respondents reported that Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and anti-corruption issues caused their companies to renegotiate or pull out of planned business relationships, mergers or acquisitions over the last three years.

More than half of U.S. adults (54%) agree that finding a temporary job is the best option following a layoff, according to a new online survey commissioned by EmploymentGroup, a Midwest staffing and contracted services firm, and conducted by Harris Interactive®. The poll coincides with the latest Labor Department payrolls data that show U.S. employment rose far less than expected in January, suggesting continued weakness in the job market.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 9.0 percent in January, while nonfarm payroll employment changed little (+36,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment rose in manufacturing and in retail trade but was down in construction and in transportation and warehousing. Employment in most other major industries changed little over the month.

comScore, Inc.), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its Q4 2010 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that online retail spending reached a record $43.4 billion for the quarter, up 11 percent versus year ago. This growth rate represented the fifth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and second quarter of double-digit growth rates in the past year.

The results of a new Harris Poll are something of a paradox. When asked separately about seven of the most important bills that were passed by the last Congress, including those passed in the very productive lame duck session in December, majorities of those who are familiar with them rate each of them "good" rather than "bad". The three most popular bills, rated "good" by the most people who are familiar with them, are the 9/11 First Responders bill (88%), the bill to extend the Bush-era tax cuts and unemployment benefits (73%), and the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law (68%).