Category: Business

Canadian Business Investment ‘Significantly’ Lower Compared to US, Fraser Institute Report Finds

The gap between Canadian and U.S. business investment per worker “widened significantly” after 2014, with Canada seeing a $43.7 billion decline in total annual business investment between 2014 and 2021, according to a new report by the Fraser Institute. “Economists have warned of Canada’s weak business investment, particularly compared to the United States. This should…


Drop in German Business Morale Points to Longer Recession

BERLIN—German business morale worsened for the second consecutive month in June, a survey showed on Monday, indicating that Europe’s largest economy faces an uphill battle to shake off recession. The Ifo institute said its business climate index fell to 88.5 this month from 91.5 in May. A Reuters poll of analysts had predicted a smaller…


Mom Homeschools Bullied Daughter, Now She Loves Learning and Has Her Own Business

When a major bullying incident proved to be the last straw, this mom from British Columbia took her daughter out of mainstream education and turned to “unschooling” for answers. Three years later, her daughter is thriving and is even running her own candle company. Nine-year-old Lily Harper, who describes herself as a “minipreneur,” has shipped over…


Aussie Business Groups Say Federal Labor’s Workforce Reforms Will Have Ramifications for Economy

Business groups that oppose Federal Labor’s proposed “same job, same pay” labour-hire laws say the proposal would contribute to workforce shortages, increased food prices, and the winding back of working conditions. Under the Fair Work Amendment (Same Job, Same Pay) Bill 2021, all workers employed through labour-hire companies will receive the same wage as employees…


Nearly 70 Percent of Australian Employers Look to Hire More as Wages Increase

Australia’s hiring outlooks are improving as over two-thirds of employers intend to recruit more workers over the June 2023 quarter.  The Quarterly Australian Work Outlook Report, published by the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) on May 16, surveyed 60,600 HR and business leaders in Australia. The report showed that 69 percent of organisations are planning to…


Business Fails When Distracted

One of the most famous articles in economics, written by Milton Friedman and published in The New York Times, states: “The businessmen believe that they are defending free enterprise when they declaim that business is not concerned ‘merely’ with profit but also with promoting desirable ‘social’ ends; that business has a ‘social conscience’ and takes…


Volkswagen Increases Q1 Sales Despite Weaker China Business

BERLIN—Volkswagen significantly increased deliveries in the first quarter despite weaker business in China, its most important single market, the German carmaker said on Friday. The group delivered 2.04 million vehicles to customers worldwide, up 7.5 percent compared with the same quarter last year, while in China, sales fell 14.5 percent to 644,500 vehicles. Sales in…


US Job Market Adds Less Jobs in March: ADP Report

The number of jobs added in March in the United States as well as the increase in pay have started to decrease, according to a business report from ADP. Private sector employment increased by 145,000 jobs in March, and annual pay was up 6.9 percent year over year, according to the March ADP National Employment…


HK Q4 GDP Contracts 4.2% YOY, With Import and Export Trade a Major Drag

On March 20, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) of Hong Kong released the preliminary year-on-year net Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures by economic activity for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the whole year of 2022. According to the preliminary figures, overall GDP decreased by 4.2 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2022,…


Canadian Governments Spent Over $352 Billion in Business Subsidies Over 13-Year Period: Study

A total of $352.1 billion in business subsidies have been paid out by all three levels of government between 2007 and 2019, translating into thousands to tens of thousands of dollars spent by Canadian taxpayers, according to a Fraser Institute study. Tegan Hill and Joel Emes, senior economists at the think tank and co-authors of…