ICYMI – February 15, 2012
If you are like me you try to read as many articles, blogs and books as possible but just cannot catch all of them. “In Case You Missed It” is my way of pointing out a few “reads” that I think are too good to miss.
Young, Underemployed and Optimistic: Coming of Age, Slowly, in a Touch Economy
This report is based on findings from a Pew Research Center survey conducted Dec. 6-19, 2011, among 2,048 adults nationwide, including 808 young adults (ages 18 to 34). The report also draws on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here is a summary of the key findings:
Young adults hit hard by the recession. A plurality of the public (41%) believes young adults, rather than middle-aged or older adults, are having the toughest time in today’s economy. An analysis of government economic data suggests that this perception is correct. The recent indicators on the nation’s labor market show a decline in the unemployment rate. Nonetheless, since 2010, the share of young adults ages 18 to 24 currently employed (54%) has been its lowest since the government began collecting these data in 1948. And the gap in employment between the young and all working-age adults—roughly 15 percentage points—is the widest in recorded history.1 In addition, young adults employed full time have experienced a greater drop in weekly earnings (down 6%) than any other age group over the past four years.
U.S. Consumers Buy 20% of Valentine’s Gifts Onine [Infographic] – Lauren Indvik
Consumers are expected to spend $17 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts this year, roughly a fifth of which will be spent online.
That’s according to projections from the National Retail Federation and eMarketer, whose data is visualized in the infographic from Monetate below.
Interestingly, men spend more than twice the amount women spend on Valentine’s Day: $112.65 per person versus $51.56 per person, respectively. Spending peaks among ages 25 to 34, and falls steadily after that age range. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions about that.
Apple, Suppliers Test Tablet With Smaller Screen – Lorraine Luk and Jessica E. Vascellaro
Apple Inc. is working with component suppliers in Asia to test a new tablet computer with a smaller screen, people familiar with the situation said, as it looks to broaden its product pipeline amid intensifying competition and maintain its dominant market share.
Officials at some of Apple’s suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Cupertino, Calif., company has shown them screen designs for a new device with a screen size of around eight inches and said the company is qualifying suppliers for it. Apple’s latest tablet, the iPad 2, comes with a 9.7-inch screen. It was launched last year.
