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Online advertised vacancies rose 59,900 in September to 4,296,100 following a decrease of 57,100 in August, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine™ (HWOL) Data Series. The gap between the number of unemployed and advertised vacancies (supply/demand rate) stood at 3.51 unemployed for every advertised vacancy in August (the last available unemployment data) but is down from its peak of 4.73 in October 2009.

Unemployment rates were lower in August than a year earlier in 182 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 169 areas, and unchanged in 21 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Twelve areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 9 areas registered rates below 5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate in August was 9.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted, compared with 9.6 percent a year earlier.

While U.S. workers may be expecting a major overhaul to their benefits plans because of the new health care reform law, most may be surprised to see few differences in what’s offered during this year’s open enrollment season, according to Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company. However, some changes employees will see—including cost increases, changes to dependent coverage requirements and stricter federal rules around flexible spending account (FSA) reimbursements—will make it more important than ever for workers to take an active role in choosing their health benefits this enrollment season.

New MetLife Mature Market Institute Study shows Americans will continue working out of financial necessity, beginning with the “Early Boomers”.

Mortgage rates stayed at record lows this week, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage remaining unchanged at 4.5 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.36 discount and origination points.

Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of small businesses say they plan to add positions despite the current economic situation, up 23 percent from last year. Optimism and growth were key themes in the survey released by Ink from Chase, the business card portfolio from Chase Card Services, a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had improved in August, retreated in September. The Index now stands at 48.5 (1985=100), down from 53.2 in August. The Present Situation Index decreased to 23.1 from 24.9. The Expectations Index declined to 65.4 from 72.0 last month.

The latest Harris Poll on what the public thinks and feels about the economy makes dismal reading for the White House and the Democrats, as the campaign for this November's mid-term elections moves into higher gear. President Obama's ratings on his handling of the economy, 29% positive and 71% negative, are his worst yet. Only just over a quarter of the public think that the economy will improve in the next year (28%), and less than a quarter think that their household's financial situation will improve in the next 6 months (22%). Not only are negative views held by large majorities of Republicans and Independents, they are shared by many Democrats. Furthermore people over 65, who tend to vote more heavily than younger voters in mid-term elections, are particularly gloomy, and give President Obama even lower ratings than younger adults.

After climbing steeply, according to research from Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, small-business adoption of social media marketing has plateaued at 24%.

Multifactor productivity – defined as output per unit of combined inputs – increased in about 40 percent of the 86 four-digit NAICS manufacturing industries in 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This was down from 2007, when multifactor productivity increased in about 60 percent of those industries. Fewer manufacturing industries recorded multifactor productivity increases in 2008 than in any year since 2001.