drudgereport--2019-02-20--New football league rescued by 250 million bailout

New football league rescued by $250 million bailout...

6:22 PM ET    * Emily KaplanESPN   [Carolina Hurricanes](http://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/car/carolina- hurricanes) owner Tom Dundon made a $250 million investment in the upstart Alliance of American Football and will become the league's new chairman.  The Athletic reported that the league was in danger of not making payroll on Friday, before Dundon's investment. AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol dismissed reports that the league was getting a financial bailout from Dundon.  "This has been an extraordinary undertaking for us," said Ebersol, who less than a year ago partnered with Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian to create the AAF. "It's a giant challenge and opportunity, and as a startup you are constantly looking for some peace of mind. When we got out of the first week of games, we saw there was so much interest from investors, and if we had one person who could take care of us for a very long time, that would be great."  The eight-team AAF, billed as a developmental league, kicked off the weekend following the Super Bowl. The 10-game regular season will culminate in an April 27 championship game. CBS broadcast the two opening games, and the league said more than 6 million people watched the AAF in its inaugural weekend.  # Editor's Picks    * [![](https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2018/0808/r411970_1296x1296_1-1.jpg&w=130&h=130&scale=crop&location=center)](/nfl/story/_/id/25989477/los-angeles-chargers-gm-sees-potential-aaf-developmental-league-nfl)  Chargers GM Tom Telesco believes the AAF could potentially be a developmental league for the NFL. Said Telesco: "It has the potential to be a nice complement to the NFL."    * [![](https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2019/0215/r502069_1296x1296_1-1.jpg&w=130&h=130&scale=crop&location=center)](/espn/story/_/id/25999702/alliance-american-football-tried-wooing-qb-colin-kaepernick)  Alliance of American Football co-founder Bill Polian told The Athletic that the league spoke with quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow about joining the league, but both declined.  1 Related  Dundon said once he saw the league in action, it made his potential involvement in it an easier choice.  "I had seen the deal when they were conceptualizing the league," he said on the ESPN On Ice podcast. "It wasn't something that I would do, because there were so many questions about the quality of football and all the things that come up when you try to start something new. Once it went on TV, looked great, got good ratings, I talked to people that were supportive of it.  "At the same time, through mutual acquaintances, I understood they had a need for someone like me to step in. It all came together on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. I wish it was more thought out than that, but it was that simple."  Ebersol said in a statement, "Tom, Bill Polian, and I will work with our great team at the Alliance to expand our football operations and technology business. Tom is a self-made American success story who brings a wealth of knowledge in the sports, entertainment and finance worlds and proven leadership to our organization."  Ebersol is largely the one who raised the financial capital to get the league started -- a vision he began three years ago, eventually bringing Polian and others on board. The AAF gave players three-year, $250,000 non-guaranteed contracts with unspecified bonuses related to incentives.  The league premiered on Feb. 9 on CBS, and 2.1 million people watched, according to ratings reports. Ratings, as expected, dipped when the league broadcast on cable channels to approximately 640,000 for the Week 1 Sunday night game on NFL Network. Ratings for Week 2 games, which appeared on TNT, NFL Network and CBS Sports Network, have not yet been released.  Some believe the NFL may one day buy the AAF, but Dundon said that wasn't on his mind when he made the investment.  "For whatever reason, people love American football," he told ESPN. "They watch it. There are enough good players ... about 1 percent of college players make it to the NFL. Now, with our league, maybe 2 percent of players get to play. It's viable just to be a support or development area for players whose ultimate goal is to get to the NFL.  "This league only exists because of the NFL's success. If the NFL had wanted to do it, they had the wherewithal to do it. I don't think about them as someone to buy a league. I think about them this as, 'Let's just create a league because it was a compelling thing to do.'"  The Hurricanes issued a statement from general manager Don Waddell reiterating Dundon's commitment to the NHL franchise.  "Tom is excited about the direction of the Carolina Hurricanes and remains fully committed to this franchise's current and future success in Raleigh," Waddell said.  Dundon, 47, is the former CEO of the Dallas-based lending firm Santander Consumer USA. He is the co-founder of Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, home of the PGA Tour's AT&T Byron Nelson; the majority owner of Employer Direct Healthcare, a healthcare services company; and a primary investor in Topgolf.  The Hurricanes have not made the playoffs since 2009 -- the longest active drought in the NHL -- and Dundon has pledged to inject a new energy into the franchise, which has manifested this season with elaborate postgame celebrations after home wins.  The Hurricanes have struggled with attendance and have been long subject to relocation rumors after moving from Hartford, Connecticut, in 1997. However, when Dundon took over as majority owner, he agreed to not apply for relocation for seven years, which is a standard part of NHL purchase agreements.  In an email, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Dundon did not need permission from the NHL to make this investment in another sports entity. When asked whether the league was concerned that the Hurricanes would be adversely affected by an ownership pumping an investment of this size into another sports venture, Daly said: "No."   _ESPN's Greg Wyshynski contributed to this report._


tass--2019-12-04--Russian Sports Ministry to allocate $421.75 mln for football infrastructure

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. The Russian Ministry of Sports will allocate 27 bln rubles ($421.75 mln) for the development of football infrastructure, Minister of Sports Pavel Kolobkov said on Wednesday.  According to the Minister, the federal project "includes several levels — creating infrastructure for popular sports, developing football and hockey. By 2024, 27 billion rubles ($421.75 mln) will be spent on establishing football arenas, fields with lighting and heating. The funds will also be used to train coaches and hold competitions."  This federal project includes creating conditions for physical education for all categories of the population, increasing accessibility of sports facilities to the population and improving the qualification of sports workers.  The national project "Demography," designed for 2019-2024, includes five federal projects. The total budget for the next six years will amount to 3.1 trillion rubles ($48.42 bln).


thedailycaller--2019-12-22--REPORT: ABC/ESPN Wins SEC Football Game Of The Week For $350 Million Annually

ABC/ESPN has reportedly won the rights to the SEC football game of the week.  It was previously reported the game was going to leave CBS, and it’ll now air on ABC/ESPN for the price of $350 million a year, according to Clay Travis. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)  Travis also reported ABC will try to buy out the remaining years on the deal from CBS.  This is a huge win for ABC and ESPN. This is the definition of a power move. The SEC game of the week generally draws monster ratings.  ESPN already has a large chunk of the sports world. Now, they’re getting the biggest game in the SEC every single week.  It’s impossible to overstate how big of a deal that is.  As I already said in a previous article, it’ll be interesting to see if CBS tries to stay in the college football game or if it just dips out.  With ESPN and Fox controlling so much of the ground, I find it hard to believe there’s much left for CBS.


thedenverpost--2019-02-19--Alliance of American Football league gets 250 million from Carolina Hurricanes owner

Alliance of American Football league gets $250 million from Carolina Hurricanes owner

[Carolina Hurricanes](https://stats.denverpost.com/hockey/nhl/team/5) owner Tom Dundon is investing $250 million in the Alliance of American Football.  Dundon also will serve as chairman of the fledgling eight-team league that began play on Feb. 9. His involvement came together in a matter of days last week, according to Dundon and Alliance co-founder Charlie Ebersol, though Dundon had been monitoring the AAF’s development and debut.  Ebersol dismissed reports Tuesday that the Alliance was getting a financial bailout from Dundon.  “This has been an extraordinary undertaking for us,” said Ebersol, who less than a year ago partnered with Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian to create the Alliance. “It’s a giant challenge and opportunity, and as a startup you are constantly looking for some peace of mind. When we got out of the first week of games, we saw there was so much interest from investors, and if we had one person who could take care of us for a very long time, that would be great.”  Dundon said the AAF won’t be seeking more investors at this time.  “We won’t bring in anybody for capital. We’re not going to take people’s money,” he said. “We have to decide who are the partners we want to be in business with. The Alliance already has great relationships with partners such as MGM (Resorts). There won’t be any money-raising. It will be growing the business.  “It’s so early into this. We’re all in the entertainment business, so we’re just making sure to continue to do what they have done, which is put out a quality product people want to watch and consume, and hopefully we have the capital in place to take advantage of new opportunities. Things are a lot easier when you have got the capital and connections to execute.”  Dundon also is the co-founder of Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, home of the PGA Tour’s AT&T Byron Nelson tournament; the majority owner of Employer Direct Healthcare, a health care services company; and a primary investor in Topgolf, a sports entertainment company.  The Alliance has teams in Atlanta; Phoenix; San Diego; San Antonio; Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Orlando, Florida; and Salt Lake City. It will play a 10-week schedule before its playoffs, finishing on the final weekend of April.  Early response on TV — it has deals with CBS, Turner and NFL Network — and digitally was positive, Ebersol said.  He also said adding Dundon gives the league extra credibility.  “We think there will be other opportunities,” Ebersol said, “but the fact we took one of the biggest worries of any startup off the table with a partner who has proven he knows how to build businesses — and not build to sell but build to build — is huge.”


theguardianuk--2019-03-22--Football transfer rumours Joao Felix to Manchester City for 120m

Football transfer rumours: João Félix to Manchester City for €120m?

**Manchester City** are in pole position to sign Benfica’s 19-year-old midfield prodigy **João Félix** – but he’ll come at a cost. According to the Sun, they can expect to pay the player’s €120m release clause in full if they beat Manchester United, **Real Madrid** and **Juventus** to the young whippet’s signature. Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, “is believed to have held initial talks over a deal with the Portuguese club’s hierarchy,” they report, and is trying to convince them to accept a lower up- front sum “by adding performance-based bonuses to their offer”.  The Evening Standard says Felix is not the only Benfica teenager City want to sign, with the English club competing with United (again) and **Barcelona** for 16-year-old **Ronaldo Camara** , “one of the most sought-after prospects in world football”. Other than the midfield, they report of Pep Guardiola that “ **a top quality left back** is now among his priorities”, alongside “ **another centre back** ”, while the Spaniard “is also considering **adding to his attack** ”. So, to summarise, he doesn’t need a new goalkeeper.  It’s no surprise that **Manchester United** can’t afford Félix, since they are ready to pay £65m for the Mill’s old friend **Harry Maguire**. “Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has urged United to sign Maguire so he can build his defence around the 26-year-old,” says the Express. “It has emerged Maguire is open to a switch to United and has let it be known a deal can be done.” **Ander Herrera** , meanwhile, could be off to **Paris St-Germain** on a free.  “Everyone wants **Dybala** ,” declares _Tuttosport_ , who believe that “the impact of Real Madrid’s summer revolution will be felt throughout Europe” and could end with Juventus’s Argentinian starlet leaving Turin. “So many clubs like him – besides Inter he has admirers in Spain and England – but first he has to wait for Real’s first move and hope that he joins the domino run of attackers,” they write. Tuttosport predicts that one of **Neymar** and **Kylian Mbappé** will leave Paris St-Germain this summer, bound for the Bernabéu; PSG will then replace whoever departs with **Antoine Griezmann** , forcing **Atlético Madrid** to move for Paulo Dybala (unless someone else has first), whose place at Juve might by then have been taken by Federico Chiesa. As for what Fiorentina might do then, frankly your guess is as good as ours.  Real, as frequently publicised, also want **Eden Hazard** , but according to Sky should a move for Chelsea’s Frenchman falter they will target instead West Ham’s **Felipe Anderson** “in a deal likely to be worth around £65m”, or almost exactly double the fee the Hammers paid for him last summer.  The choice facing **Chelsea** as they select a new manager to replace the underwhelming Maurizio Sarri has come down to logic v sentiment, with the two camps represented by **Nuno Espirito Santo** and **Frank Lampard**. “There is a growing feeling the Italian is not a natural fit for the club,” deduces the Sun of Sarri. “Nuno has been gaining growing support within the Blues board … but Lamps would be the fans’ choice.”  According to Bild **Liverpool** are, like every club in the Bundesliga with deep enough pockets, interested in **Callum Hudson-Odoi**. But don’t get too excited: the Liverpool Echo says the club’s summer plans are relatively modest and that they certainly “won’t be shelling out anywhere near the eye-watering amounts of the past two transfer windows”. Meanwhile in news of former Liverpool players, the Spanish newspaper Sport says that **Philippe Coutinho** could be sold by Barcelona this summer for €100m.  Meanwhile across town, **Everton** “could pounce” for **Salomón Rondón** if Newcastle fail to snap up their on-loan striker this summer, says the Star. In a story that features the word “could” a lot and makes only the slightest pretence of insider knowledge – “Starsport understands Everton are interested too” – they announce that “Everton boss Marco Silva is short of options in attack and Rondón could fit the bill”.


tass--2019-03-22--FIBA chief Andreas Zagklis Over 227 mln reinvested in 2019 Basketball World Cup

FIBA chief Andreas Zagklis: Over $22.7 mln reinvested in 2019 Basketball World Cup

China is going to host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup between August 31 and September 15 following a five-year break. FIBA has come up with a number of innovations for this tournament as it decided to avoid holding the championship during the same year as the 2018 FIFA World Cup, introducing a two-year period for qualifying matches and last weekend it staged a draw ceremony in China’s Shenzhen, where tickets were sold out well in advance.  In an interview with TASS correspondent Andrey Kartashov, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis speaks about the preparations for the Basketball World Cup, the tournament’s financial details, as well as about the current state of affairs regarding the National Basketball League (NBA) and the EuroLeague.  **— What does FIBA expect from the upcoming tournament? How much do the preparations cost including FIBA’s share? How much did China allocate to the organization of the tournament and what proceeds does FIBA expect to get in return?**  Our top priority is to deliver top quality basketball, that can be enjoyed by fans all over the world and help grow the popularity of our sport. As for the numbers, FIBA has reinvested more than 20 million euro into growing the World Cup. After the 265 million euro economic impact from Spain 2014, we are very confident that this edition will clearly reach unprecedented levels, because of the improved exposure through qualifiers, the number of teams (32 instead of 24) and the number of games (92 instead of 74 games), the venues’ bigger capacity and therefore a larger market.  **— The World Cup Draw ceremony was held last weekend. What was interesting and special about this ceremony?**  This is the first ever Draw in the history of our sport that has turned into a real event and certainly one of the best attended Draws in sports history ever. It was a ticketed event and sold out – 8,000 people were present in the Shenzhen venue, together with a number of basketball dignitaries and of course Kobe Bryant and Jason Derulo who provided the star power. The Draw was broadcast live around the globe through conventional TV, YouTube and Facebook.  **— What is your expectation of the basketball fans’ turnout at the upcoming World Cup?**  We have high hopes that this tournament will surpass all expectations. It is hard to estimate right now as the ticket sales have only recently opened and the sample is rather small. There are four different categories of tickets, so something for every fan and every possible need. We are working with our partners in China we are certain that the venues will not only be full but will also offer a unique experience to local and foreign visitors.  **— What can be said about security measures at the tournament? Will there be particularly heightened security measures in force in host cities?**  The highest level of security is ensured for the World Cup. Let’s not forget that, by definition, China is a country that pays extra attention to security for all events in its territory while they also have the added experience from the Olympics in 2008. FIBA has added all its know-how and event experience to the mix and we are guaranteed a top-level approach.  **— What can you say about the inaugural series of the qualifying tournament ahead of this World Cup?**  We have placed the World Cup at the top of our competition structure. In terms of size the Qualifiers were the biggest event we have ever put in place in almost 90 years of our history; we took care of a centralized TV production of all games, working hand in hand with the 80 national federations that participated in the Qualifiers and our five regional offices. And, of course, we have in front of us a World Cup where every game counts because of the Olympics. All this will provide a great opportunity to our federations to grow.  In the 16 months between November 2017 and February 2018 the Qualifiers project has been a big success for basketball. It brought national team basketball back to the fans, during the season; there have been countries where the fans have not watched their team play a competitive game at home in over a decade or even more. This was detrimental to the development of basketball in the country. So many of the games were sold-outs. The teams had the chance to identify new talent and help create a deeper roster – especially in view of the upcoming World Cup for those who qualified. Any way we look at it the overall conclusion is positive.  **— In the future, will we see national teams playing in the qualifiers with an optimal roster? When are the clubs going to easily send their players to join the national teams?**  The optimal squad is perhaps a question for the coaches. With regard to the availability of all players for each qualifying window, this is something that all stakeholders should work on to help achieve the best possible result.  **— With whom does FIBA have a better relationship at the moment: with the Euroleague or with the NBA?**  FIBA is the governing body of basketball in the world; our mission is to develop and grow the sport, which effectively means that we are obliged to maintain a working relationship with all stakeholders of the game. Both NBA and EuroLeague, as leagues, are two of those stakeholders, meaning they are part of the structure. That said, it is true that FIBA has an excellent working relationship with the NBA, with who we run several projects around the globe and have recently partnered in the creation of the Basketball Africa League which is set to launch in 2020.  **— How does FIBA look at the prospect of top clubs’ leave from the national championships and playing in EuroLeague only?**  In team sport competitions, especially in Europe, the clubs that participate in continental club competitions they do so on merit, meaning achieve their participation through their position in their national leagues. A closed league, depriving some national leagues of some of their top teams, could have immediate damaging effects for those national leagues, especially financially (e.g. less money coming in from TV rights) and long lasting effects for development of basketball in that particular country.  **— What is FIBA’s evaluation of the Champions League and its development?**  We are very pleased and so are our partners in the Basketball Champions League – the 11 national leagues and ULEB that are 50 percent shareholders. In less than three years, the Basketball Champions League has made huge steps towards establishing itself as the clear destination for clubs that achieve qualification through their national league success. This year we were happy to welcome two of Europe’s top clubs – Bamberg and Hapoel Jerusalem – a further proof that the project is appealing because it is fair. The numbers are also there to support our claims. The digital growth of the league is unparalleled in the basketball world, in terms of how quickly and effectively it was achieved.  **— Is it possible that a situation similar to the one in the NHL could happen with the NBA prohibiting its players from playing at the Olympics?**  We do not foresee such scenario. The participation of professional basketball players in the Olympics, including those from the NBA is something that was agreed 30 years ago, to make sure that the game’s top talent gets a chance to showcase their skills in the Games. And that included the talent from every country, not just the US. As mentioned, we have an excellent working relationship with the NBA. The NBA is an organization that runs a top-notch league but also has a global view of what is beneficial to the game – and getting the chance to expose the game’s top talent in the Olympics scene is definitely one of those benefits.  **— Speaking about the development of basketball on a global scale – it seems that the NBA is getting brighter, and basketball in all other parts of the world is getting dimmer and duller. Does FIBA consider this as a problem? What steps could be taken to change this situation?**  Our partnership with the NBA is currently experiencing a great era; it’s a partnership that has expanded from the making-players-available-at-tournaments one to a fully institutional partnership with the Deputy Commissioner of the NBA sitting at the FIBA Central Board and the Executive Committee. In other words, the NBA are part of the decision making process in World Basketball.  I think you are looking only at the league itself but, as mentioned, the NBA goes beyond those 30 franchises and what they do outside their own league can only be seen as an added value to our sport. Their philosophy of helping grow the community of the sport around the world is paramount to the FIBA development strategy. I need only mention the Basketball Without Borders which is a joint initiative between NBA and FIBA and which been conducted annually since 2001 with 56 camps in 35 cities across 28 countries on six continents. Focused on elite talent, BWB has reached more than 3,300 participants from 129 countries and territories. And more than 250 different current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined the project during those 18 years.


thedailycaller--2019-03-30--REPORT Nebraska Hires Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg For 25 Million

REPORT: Nebraska Hires Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg For $25 Million

Nebraska has found its new basketball coach in Fred Hoiberg.  According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the former Iowa State and Chicago Bulls coach was hired by Nebraska Saturday for $25 million over seven years. The Cornhuskers fired Tim Miles as the head coach a few days ago. (RELATED: Tim Miles Says He’s Going Home To Drink A Coors Light After Nebraska Fires Him)  This is a home run hire for the Cornhuskers. That’s even putting it lightly. Hoiberg wasn’t super successful in the NBA, but he was dominant at the college level.  Now that he has time in the pros under his coaching belt, it’ll make recruiting that much easier for him. He’ll be able to pitch players on knowing exactly what they need to cut it at the next level.  For a school that has really only seemed to ever care about football, I can’t even begin to describe how big this is for Nebraska and their fanbase.  Hoiberg has been one of the best college coaches in the country the past decade, and he’s at Nebraska! He didn’t end up at a traditional powerhouse. He ended up at Nebraska!  It’s almost too crazy to believe, and they paid a pretty penny to get him. What a wild world we’re living in when Fred Hoiberg gets snatched up by a middle of the road at best Big Ten team.  Big things might on the horizon in Lincoln.


tass--2019-02-27--FIFA to allocate over 60 million for 2018 World Cup heritage program in Russia

FIFA to allocate over $60 million for 2018 World Cup heritage program in Russia

MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body, FIFA, is set to allocate at least $60 million for the 2018 World Cup heritage program in Russia, Arkady Dvorkovich, the chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Russia-2018, said on Wednesday.  The Monitoring Council of the Russia-2018 LOC gathered for its last session in Moscow on Wednesday.  "FIFA is set to allocate at least $60 million for the heritage program," Dvorkovich told journalists after the session. "The sum will be channeled for the support of the development of youth and women football and the [2018 World Cup] infrastructure maintenance."  "The heritage program is under discussions with the Russian Sports Ministry, the RFU [Russian Football Union] and FIFA," Dvorkovich said.  FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, who attended the session in Moscow as well, said the world’s football body was set to establish a 2018 World Cup heritage fund. Speaking to journalists she said that Russia organized an outstanding World Cup and the next step is to evaluate to exact scale of the tournament in Russia.  Last summer Russia hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Moscow with a remarkable opening show at Luzhniki Stadium on the evening of June 14 and ended with a spectacular final match, played also at the Luzhniki Stadium, where France confidently defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the much-coveted World Cup Trophy.  Russia selected 11 host cities as the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.  FIFA President Infantino said after the world championship that Russia staged "the best World Cup ever." According to the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, some 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived in Russia last summer for the FIFA World Cup.  In late December, FIFA announced in its statement that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia set a new record of audience in the history of world football championships as over half of the world’s population watched matches on TV at home, out of home or on digital platforms.


tass--2019-02-27--Russia spent some 106 billion to organize 2018 FIFA World Cup

Russia spent some $10.6 billion to organize 2018 FIFA World Cup

MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Russia spent about 700 billion rubles ($10.6 billion) to organize the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Arkady Dvorkovich, the chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Russia-2018, said on Wednesday.  The Monitoring Council of the Russia-2018 LOC gathered for its last session in Moscow on Wednesday.  "A sum of about 700 billion rubles was spent on the organization of the world championship," Dvorkovich told journalists after the session. "The larger part of this sum was allocated from the federal budget."  Last summer Russia hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Moscow with a remarkable opening show at Luzhniki Stadium on the evening of June 14 and ended with a spectacular final match, played also at the Luzhniki Stadium, where France confidently defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the much-coveted World Cup Trophy.  Russia selected 11 host cities as the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.  FIFA President Infantino said after the world championship that Russia staged "the best World Cup ever." According to the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, some 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived in Russia last summer for the FIFA World Cup.  In late December, FIFA announced in its statement that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia set a new record of audience in the history of world football championships as over half of the world’s population watched matches on TV at home, out of home or on digital platforms.  In other media


tass--2019-09-05--FIFA chief Infantino ready to invest 5 mln in childrens sports in Vladivostok

FIFA chief Infantino ready to invest $5 mln in children’s sports in Vladivostok

VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is ready to invest some $5 million in the development of children’s sports and the construction of sports facilities for children in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, Primorsky Region Governor Oleg Kozhemyako told TASS on Thursday.  FIFA President Infantino, Russian Presidential Aide Igor Levitin and Alexander Dyukov, the president of the Russian Football Union (RFU) paid a visit on Thursday to children’s sports school in Vladivostok, which currently hosts the 2019 Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).  After paying a visit to the sports school, they walked to the Dynamo stadium, which is a home stadium to local football club Luch from the Football National League (FNL). Infantino stated in particular that the stadium needs to be refurbished since the place "is very special."  "You could make here a football-only stadium," Infantino said.  "I completely agree [with Infantino’s proposal]," Kozhemyako said. "We talked to Igor Levitin, who oversees sports issues in the administration, telling him that it would be a good idea to make a 15,000-seat capacity stadium with children’s sports school and other facilities."  "According to my information, Infantino is ready to invest about $5 million in children’s sports, the construction of sites for children’s sports and the arena," the governor said. "This is why his [Infantino’s] arrival [to the EEF] is a significant event."  Dynamo stadium in Vladivostok was built in 1957 and currently boasts a 10,000-seat capacity. The stadium is mostly used for hosting matches of local football club Luch.  FIFA President Gianni Infantino also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and told him in particular about his plans to open a football school with the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok.  The Eastern Economic Forum, established in 2015, is held annually in Vladivostok. It serves as a platform for debating key issues concerning the world economy, regional integration, and the development of new industrial and technological sectors, as well as global challenges facing Russia and other nations.  Events at the EEF traditionally take place in the form of panel sessions, roundtables, televised debates, business breakfasts, and business dialogues devoted to Russia’s relationships with various countries.  In 2018, 220 agreements, contracts, memorandums and protocols worth over 3 trillion rubles ($45 bln) were signed at last year’s EEF, which was attended by over 6,000 delegates from 60 states.  This year’s forum is taking place on September 4-6. TASS news agency is the event’s general information partner, the official photo hosting agency and moderator of the presentation zone focusing on the Russian Far East’s innovation opportunities.


activistpost--2019-08-12--NYC Has Lost 4000 Jobs in the Restaurant Sector Alone Since Arrival of 15 Minimum Wage

NYC Has Lost 4,000 Jobs in the Restaurant Sector Alone Since Arrival of $15 Minimum Wage

New York City businesses have been struggling with higher labor costs brought about by the new $15 an hour city minimum wage that went into effect at the end of last year for “large employers” of 11 employees or more. That’s the third minimum wage increase in three years, and is an increase of more than 36 percent over the last two years from the $11 an hour minimum wage at the end of 2016, and a whopping increase of 107 percent since 2013 when the minimum wage in New York State (and NYC) were determined by the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour.  The current state minimum wage outside of NYC is $11.10 an hour, so employers in the city are faced with paying a large 35 percent wage premium compared to their counterparts outside of the metro area for low-skilled workers. And it’s having a devastating effect on the city’s small businesses and restaurants.  Here are some of the recent news reports on the fallout from New York City’s $15 an hour minimum wage:  1. New York City Businesses Struggle to Keep Up After Minimum Wage Increase  2. New York City’s $15 Minimum Wage Is Now Officially a Disaster  3. Not A Surprise: New York City $15 Minimum Wage Leads to Layoffs, Fewer Hours, And Slow Growth  5. New Yorkers Discover Something Bad About Minimum Wage Hike  7. Art Laffer: Raising the minimum wage is the best way to hurt the poor  The chart above shows graphically the New York City “restaurant recession” that has resulted from the recent minimum wage increases. According to BLS data, the restaurant job losses in the city this year are even steeper and longer-lasting than the job losses during the Great Recession and are the most severe loss of food service jobs since the 2001 recession and the devastating effects the 9/11 terrorist attacks had that year on tourism and restaurant traffic.  Compared to the first half of last year when there was an average of about 318,000 restaurant jobs in the city, there were only slightly more than 314,000 restaurant employees during the same period this year, representing a loss of nearly 4,000 food jobs over the last year at a rate of 11 jobs lost on average every day.  We hear a lot of concern from politicians like Sen. Sanders and AOC about the importance of “living wages” for low skilled workers, but they show no concern about the “living profitability” of small business owners and restaurateurs in places New York City who struggle to remain profitable paying artificially high government-imposed wages and are forced to lay off workers and many close down.


birminghammail--2019-04-04--Minimum wage rise for THOUSANDS of Birmingham workers - how youre affected

Minimum wage rise for THOUSANDS of Birmingham workers - how you're affected

Almost 35,000 Brummies will see a pay raise thanks to this week’s minimum wage hike.  Estimates from the Low Pay Commission (LPC) suggest that 34,900 Birmingham based workers currently receive the minimum rate of pay.  That’s equivalent to 8.2 per cent of all employees over the age of 16 in our city.  That number includes people on the National Minimum Wage, and the National Living Wage.  The National Living Wage is the minimum wage for workers aged 25 and over that was introduced by George Osborne in April 2016.  The figures come from the LPC's 2018 Report, which made the wage-rise recommendations which came into place on Monday.  Workers on the National Living Wage will notice a pay rise from £7.83 to £8.21 an hour when they receive their pay slips this month.  If you work a 37.5 hour week (7.5 hours a day), that will equate to an extra £57 a month, or £741 a year.  Those age 21-24 who earn the National Minimum Wage will see their pay rise from £7.38 to £7.70.  That works out as an extra £48 a month, or £624 a year.  If you are aged 18-20, a wage rise from £5.90 to £6.15 will equate to an extra £37.50 a month, or £487.50 a year.  Under 18s also saw a pay rise of 15p, from £4.20 to £4.35, and the minimum pay for apprentices rose 20p, from £3.70 to £3.90.  LPC Chair Bryan Sanderson said on Monday: “We are pleased that millions of workers across the country will see an above-inflation pay rise as a result of today’s minimum wage increases, which follow the recommendations the LPC made in the autumn.  “Today is particularly significant as it also marks 20 years of the National Minimum Wage.  “Over the last 20 years the National Minimum Wage and more recently the National Living Wage have achieved their goal of raising pay without significant negative effects on employment.”  Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, said: “This government is dedicated to increasing the wages of the lowest paid which is why we introduced the National Living Wage and have continued to increase the National Minimum Wage rates – all of which will rise again today and benefit millions of workers.”


cbsnews--2019-01-02--New laws for 2019 include rules for California pet stores higher minimum wages

New laws for 2019 include rules for California pet stores, higher minimum wages

# New state laws kick in for 2019


chicagotribune--2019-11-26--Chicago City Council raises minimum wage to $15 by 2021, but restaurant servers still will get lower

Chicago City Council raises minimum wage to $15 by 2021, but restaurant servers still will get lower tipped wage

“I’m just really disappointed that the city of Chicago doesn’t understand that all tipped workers are not tipped the same,” said Honni Harris, 46, who worked as a server in Chicago restaurants and clubs for 24 years and now is an activist with the Restaurant Opportunities Center, which advocates for scrapping the tipped wage. “There are workers who can bring home $600 in a weekend, but what about those workers who are working at the pancake house, or at Denny’s? They can’t pay their rent.”


cnbc--2019-01-02--15 minimum wage in NYC and other ambitious local laws lead a push for new national standards

$15 minimum wage in NYC and other ambitious local laws lead a push for new national standards

In New York City, the minimum wage increased to $15 for all businesses with more than 10 employees. By the end of this year, the change will be implemented citywide, raising the wages for 1.5 million workers, according to the New York City comptroller's office.  New York City's wage increase illustrates how far the "Fight for $15" movement has come into the mainstream. Once thought of as a pipe dream initiated by fast food workers in 2012, three states and even more municipalities have now pledged to increase their minimum wage to $15 an hour. The movement has also garnered national support from key lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and presumptive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.  "I remember just a few years ago, people said this was impossible," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a video posted to Twitter on Monday. "Today, it's a reality because of you: the people who stood up."  Opponents of a wage hike say a $15 minimum wage can pressure small businesses to raise prices or cut staff to offset new cost pressures. In a statement released in 2016 when the minimum wage increase was scheduled, the NYC Hospitality Alliance warned of "potential unintended consequences of this action, such as employee lay-offs and business closures."  "This legislation creates great uncertainty for many businesses and is an example of aggressive government action making it more difficult than it already is for many of our city's small businesses to succeed," the statement read.  Forty other cities and states also raised the minimum wage in the new year, according to data from the National Employment Law Project. In October, Amazon boosted its minimum wage to $15 an hour, benefiting more than 250,000 employees, earning praise from Sanders.


cnsnews--2019-08-13--Minimum Wage Laws Are Not Causing Lower-Wage Workers Wages to Rise Faster

Before lawmakers left for August recess, the Democrat-controlled House voted to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.  Such a move would backfire in a major way if passed into law. It would hurt lower-skilled individuals the most, including teenagers, immigrants, and those without a high school degree. And women, who hold more low-wage jobs than men, would be hurt the most, accounting for more than 60 percent of the resulting lay-offs.  The push for new wage mandates comes at a puzzling time: We are in the midst of a record economic expansion in which workers in lower-wage jobs are seeing their wages grow faster than many high-wage workers.  This is no mere blip on the screen. It’s an ongoing trend, as the July jobs report shows.  Average wage growth has been above 3 percent for the last 11 straight months. Meanwhile, the lowest 10th percentile of wage earners (people making about $12 an hour) have benefited from more than twice that gain in wages—a 6.6 percent wage increase over just the last year. That’s equivalent to a roughly $1,500 raise for someone earning less than $25,000 a year.  Some are now claiming that minimum wage increases at the state level are responsible. One short study, which was repeated in the pages of The Washington Post, shows that states with minimum wage hikes since 2013 have seen faster wage growth for low-wage workers.  Not so fast. There are some serious problems with this study.  For one, many states that increased their minimum wage also instituted pro-growth reforms during the same time. New York, for example, improved its business climate in 2014 by cutting its corporate tax to its lowest rate since the 1960s. Missouri; Arizona; Washington, D.C.; Minnesota; and Maine are all among the states that cut taxes during this time period while also raising their minimum wage.  There is now ample evidence that pro-growth policies, like business tax cuts, fuel wage growth and new hiring. Research on the minimum wage tells the opposite story: one of job loss and wage stagnation.  The economic fact is that when the government forces businesses to pay an employee a mandated hourly wage, businesses are left with few options: Cut hours, lay off workers, or reduce benefits—or some combination of these.  Most often, businesses are forced to cut jobs, which is why the Congressional Budget Office found that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour could lead to over 3.7 million workers losing their jobs.  A 2011 study from The Heritage Foundation painted an even bleaker picture, finding that this policy would force 7 million Americans out of work.  Economists have documented the significant negative impact of Seattle’s decision to raise the minimum wage to $13 an hour. That decision resulted in a drop in employment across the city. Workers who retained their jobs ended up working fewer hours, resulting in a net income loss.  If history is any guide, minimum wage increases lead to slower rather than faster wage growth.  A 2015 study found that workers in states with small increases in the minimum wage from 2005-2008 ended up with lower wages than they would have had if the state never increased its minimum wage. The minimum wage hike achieved the exact opposite of its goal.  This happens, in part, because minimum wages shrink the number of jobs available, meaning there are equally qualified workers competing for fewer jobs. Workers who are lucky enough to retain their job see slower wage growth than they would have otherwise because the job market is full of people who can easily replace them.  Minimum wages also have been shown to incentivize low-income youth to drop out of school, which lowers their future earnings. And, they cut off employment opportunities entirely for workers who cannot yet produce the minimum wage.  At $15 per hour, workers must be able to produce upward of $35,000 per year. That’s a high bar for anyone just starting out and especially high for teenagers trying to get their first job, perhaps to save for college.  A study on the long-run effects of minimum wages found that the longer individuals were exposed to higher minimum wages at young ages, the less they worked and earned by their late 20s. The study also noted that “the adverse longer-run effects are stronger for blacks.”  It may be true that some minimum wage hikes raise wages for a few lucky workers, but it comes at the expense of layoffs and shorter hours for others.  Workers have much more to gain from sustainable wage increases, and so do employers and customers, since both groups want better performance from workers.  Our economy is currently booming, and a key feature of that is the strong job market. There are now over a million more jobs available than people looking for work. Employers are offering wage increases, bonuses, new training opportunities, and better benefits to retain and upskill their best employees.  Employers are competing for labor. That puts workers in the driver’s seat, allowing them to demand higher wages and better benefits.  Moreover, productivity is a major leverage point for workers. When workers are more productive, they bring more value to the company and can therefore demand higher wages.  The current economic environment has benefited from two things: the 2017 tax cuts and ongoing deregulation. These policies are making American workers more productive.  The 2017 tax cuts significantly lowered the cost of new investment by cutting the corporate tax rate and allowing companies to write off the full cost of many new investments from their taxes. Now, companies have a greater incentive to re-invest their profits into the tools and research workers need to be more productive employees.  And, as workers become more valuable through increased productivity, they are empowered to demand higher wages.  But these tax cuts need to be made permanent to ensure workers continue to experience benefits they currently enjoy.  The United States’ record-long economic expansion has helped lower-income workers the most, and the whole gamut of pro-growth policies have helped prolong the current expansion. These gains are impressive despite the economic uncertainty exacted by President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and our ever-expanding federal debt, which must be addressed.  Congress should not tempt the resilience of the American economy by mandating a higher federal minimum wage. Lower-wage workers are feeling a boon like no other in recent memory. The last thing we should do is bring it to a premature end.  Adam Michel focuses on tax policy and the federal budget as a policy analyst in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.  Travis Nix is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.  : This piece was originally published by The Daily Signal.


freedombunker--2019-03-10--15 Minimum Wage Laws Are Wiping Out Jobs in New York and Illinois

$15 Minimum Wage Laws Are Wiping Out Jobs in New York and Illinois

Big minimum wage hikes wipe out a lot of jobs. Illinois recently enacted a $15 minimum wage, a large increase in the minimum wage that will be phased in over several years. And businesses are already announcing plans to close up, move out of the state, or curb their expansion in the state. The Daily Gazette and Sauk Valley Media provide the example of Hopper’s Poppers:  After a little more than 2 years downtown, Hopper’s Poppers – the business, and the building it’s in – are being put up for sale, the owner said. Ryan Hopper also closed his Sycamore shop this week, citing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s approval of a statewide $15 minimum wage increase. Three months ago, he and his wife Stephanie were considering adding a third location in Roscoe, which would have brought him closer to his five-location goal. But he said the the minimum wage hike and Illinois’s notoriously high property taxes solidified the decision for his family to continue their business ventures outside Illinois.  Jobs are being lost in New York, too. New York City experienced its worst decline in restaurant jobs since 9/11 after a $15 minimum wage there was enacted. The city saw its sharpest fall in restaurant employment in nearly 20 years. Its 40% increase in the minimum wage was phased in over a two-year period, but substantial job losses are already evident.  As Jon Miltimore of the Foundation for Economic Education notes:  Restaurants tend to operate on famously low profit margins, typically 2 to 6 percent. So a 40 percent mandatory wage increase over a two-year period is not trivial. In response to the minimum wage hikes, New York City restaurants did what businesses tend to do when labor costs rise: they increased prices and reduced labor staff and hours. For example, Lalito’s, a popular restaurant on Bayard Street, recently raised its menu prices 10-15 percent, Eater New York reports. A New York City Hospitality Alliance survey also showed that three out of four full-service restaurants said they planned to reduce employee hours. Nearly half of those surveyed said they planned to eliminate some job positions in 2019.  As Miltimore notes, several other states have passed or are in the process of enacting a $15 pay floor. New Jersey recently enacted a $15 minimum wage—the increase will be phased in over several years—joining California, Massachusetts, and New York. The Maryland House of Delegates passed a $15 pay floor on February 27. The District of Columbia and some cities, such as Minneapolis and Seattle and Minneapolis, also have $15 minimum wage laws.  The abstract idea of a “living wage” is so powerful that politicians and even voters are willing to sacrifice real people in the pursuit of it. Politicians have admitted that these radical increases in the minimum wage make no economic sense, even if they make for a moralistic political soundbite. In signing California’s $15 minimum wage into law, California’s Jerry Brown said that “Economically, minimum wages may not make sense. But morally, socially, and politically they make every sense.”  By advocating minimum wage hikes, people get to signal their own political virtue—at the expense of other people’s jobs.  Voters often feel the same way. The Los Angeles Times reported that “Californians strongly back the state’s minimum wage increase to $15,” even “though they believe the wage hike will hurt their pocketbooks and the state’s economy,” and “high percentages of those surveyed expected negative consequences, including layoffs and business relocations to states with lower minimum wages. Almost 90% of respondents believed that prices for consumers would rise because of the wage hike.”  By advocating minimum wage hikes, people get to signal their own political virtue—at the expense of other people’s jobs.  Seventy-two percent of economists say that a $15 minimum wage is a bad idea, and an even higher percentage say it will increase the unemployment rate. An economist at Moody’s estimated that up to 160,000 jobs will be lost in California’s manufacturing sector alone from the increase to $15.  Raising its own minimum wage costs a state critical tax revenue and constitutes unilateral disarmament in its competition with other states. Job losses and business failures from minimum wage hikes reduce state revenue. Meanwhile, much of the benefit of the wage hike to low-income workers who manage to keep jobs at the increased minimum wage is lost due to increased federal taxes and reduced federal earned-income tax credits and food stamps, as a writer noted in the Wall Street Journal in 2016:  The tax implications of going from a $10 to a $15-an-hour minimum wage” are fiscally “very significant. For a family of four with both spouses making the minimum wage, their federal tax will increase from $4,106 to $7,219, payroll tax will increase from $2,579 to $3,869, their earned-income tax credit (EITC) will be reduced from $596 to zero … and the $2,400 food-stamp credit will be lost. Of the $20,800 increase in income in going from $10 to $15 an hour, $7,778 will be diverted to the government, which doesn’t include loss of other income-dependent government welfare programs and added costs due to the resulting inflation. Over one-third of the wage increase will flow to the [federal] government.  The net result is that an economically struggling town with lots of low-wage workers tends to have less disposable income, higher prices, and less consumer purchasing power (meaning fewer retail jobs) after a minimum wage hike than before.  This article is reprinted with permission from Liberty Unyielding.


latimes--2019-09-12--Labor won big with bill to rewrite California employment law but its flawed

Labor won big with bill to rewrite California employment law — but it's flawed

Independent trucker Robert Schott was driving his big rig down the I-10 near Pomona when I reached him on his cell to talk about the “gig” bill. He hated the measure.  We chatted shortly before the state Senate passed the bill Tuesday night after an emotional debate. Then the Assembly on Wednesday sent it to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who already had endorsed the measure.  It’s organized labor’s biggest legislative victory in years. The bill will reclassify an estimated 1 million California workers as company employees rather than independent contractors, enshrining in law a state Supreme Court ruling. As employees, they’ll be eligible for new benefits, pay guarantees — and union membership.  “First off, I’ll have to sell my truck,” Schott said above the engine roar. “Or the bank will wind up taking it. I can’t afford to make the payments if I’m an employee. I wouldn’t be running my own business and making as much money.”  Schott, 55, a freight hauler from Rancho Cucamonga, also echoed the universal complaint of the bill’s opponents: He’ll lose flexibility.  “I’d have to work by the company’s schedule under its terms,” he said. “As an owner-operator, I choose my own schedule. I’m a single father and take my girl to school every morning and see her at night. I don’t think people making this law understand how it’s going to impact us.  “They’re grouping too many people in one category. They’re grouping us in with Uber drivers and I don’t think that’s right.”  I called some ride-share drivers. Some liked the bill, others didn’t.  Konstantine Anthony, 38, of Burbank, drives for Uber now and used to for Lyft. He says both keep lowering their pay scales without consulting drivers.  “Driving in L.A., it’s hectic,” he said. “You should get hazard pay….”  “Once AB 5 is on the books, it gives drivers the ability to unionize. That opens the door to benefits, time off, spending time with the kids.”  But Jack Kinney, 60, an L.A. driver for Lyft, sees just the opposite.  “My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer,” he said. “By having complete freedom of schedule, I was able to get her to every doctor appointment and procedure. Her English isn’t that good and I was able to translate. If I had to be on a company schedule, I’d lose a lot of freedom.”  Maybe — maybe not. His union might negotiate time off for family illness.  For months, most of the public’s attention concerning the bill has focused on Uber and Lyft drivers. But lately, people have awakened to the realization that it also affects independent truckers, healthcare providers, adult entertainers, psych therapists and many other workers. Lobbyists have packed the Capitol seeking exemptions.  And dozens of them have been granted, including for doctors, lawyers, insurance brokers, some freelance writers and commercial fishermen. Newspaper carriers won a last-minute exemption for one year. But among truckers, only those who tow disabled vehicles or haul building construction material obtained exemptions.  “Why didn’t we get an exemption?” asked Kevin Saiki of San Diego, a cardiopulmonary perfusionist — someone who operates life support equipment, he explained, “in a last-ditch effort to save life.”  “How do you qualify for an exemption?”  Answer: pressure and persistence. Better also hire a lobbyist. And, of course, it helps to be a political supporter.  “In California,” Saiki continued, “there are only 350 of us. We’re a specialized field. We’re on call. We respond to emergencies. We work with other groups. As employees, that wouldn’t be possible.”  Saiki, who is legislative chair of the California Perfusion Society, asked: “How can you make blanket legislation like this? Either they’re not educated or are ignoring reality to try to give labor unions more power.”  There was a lot of such talk by Republicans during the two-hour Senate debate.  Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Temecula) charged the bill was “a Christmas tree for organized labor that might as well have an office right here in the state Capitol.” He ended with a characterization of “labor bosses in smoked-filled rooms.”  Smoking hasn’t been allowed in the Capitol for years, but labor essentially has dozens of offices there. Democrats hold supermajorities in both houses. And for most, unions are their strongest, most reliable supporters. Moreover, Newsom is much more predictably liberal than his centrist predecessor, Jerry Brown.  The bill, AB 5, was authored by a former labor organizer, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego). Its Senate floor jockey, Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), once led the L.A. County Federation of Labor. Both reacted heatedly to repeated GOP assaults on the bill.  “I’ve had enough,” Gonzalez said, asserting that what many California workers have is “not flexibility, it’s feudalism.”  Durazo said: “We can either choose to become complicit in the exploitation of hard-working Californians or we can choose to rebuild the working and middle class.”  But Senate Republican leader Shannon Grove of Bakersfield accused Democrats of “picking favorites” and “choosing winners and losers.”  In the Senate, the bill passed 29-11. All Democrats voted “yes” and all Republicans said “no.” In the Assembly, the measure passed 56-15. One Democrat voted “no” — Assemblyman Adam Gray of Merced. One Republican was a “yes” — Tyler Diep of Westminster.  There are lots of gray hues in this landmark legislation that don’t reflect the black-and-white partisan voting. Many Democrats admitted there are flaws and promised to try to correct them next year.  Right! We’ve heard that before. As a rule, flawed bills shouldn’t be passed in the first place.


themanchestereveningnews--2019-03-20--The five employment law changes happening next month that you need to know about

If you're a business owner or an employee then there are some changes coming into force next month that are worth being aware of.  Some of the changes coming into play will effect the National Minimal Wage which is going up.  There will also be changes coming to the National Living Wage as well as pay slips.  To get a better idea of exactly what is changing and the impacts it will have, Peninsula Operations Director and HR expert Alan Price provides guidance on what they are and how to deal with them.  National minimum wage (NMW) rates are scheduled to increase  for all pay reference periods which start on or after 1 April 2019, meaning all minimum wage workers will be due a boost in pay.  Those aged 25 and over will be entitled to a minimum of £8.21 per hour, whilst those who qualify for the different NMW age bandings will also benefit from increases.  It will be important for employers to review and amend their pay practices ahead of time to ensure NMW staff continue to receive the correct rate for their age.  The qualifying criteria for statutory sick pay (SSP) will change from 6 April 2019, as well as the amount of money staff will be entitled to earn each week.  This means individuals will need to earn at least £118 per week in order to qualify for weekly payments of £94.25 .  Similarly, the rate of pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay will increase to £148.68 per week from the 7 April 2019, which may mean employers have to amend their policies accordingly.  Employers will have to rethink their pay slip process from 6 April 2019 as both ‘employees’ and ‘workers’ will be entitled to receive itemised pay statements from this day onwards.  Pay slips will also need to include the total number of hours worked, where this influences pay, meaning payroll and HR departments will need to work in unison to ensure relevant staff receive their payslips in accordance with these new requirements.  Employers’ approach to pensions will need adjusting in 2019 as the minimum auto-enrolment contributions will increase from 6 April 2019.  Employers and workers will need to contribute 3pc and 5pc of an employee’s pre-tax salary respectively  each month and payroll departments will need to be on the ball to avoid reprisals from the pensions regulator.  The amount of money employees could be due for a successful tribunal claim will also increase from 6 April 2019. From this date, successful claims for unfair dismissal could result in a maximum compensation payout of £102,194 which means employers will need to be extra careful in making sure their procedures are fair and appropriate when taking disciplinary action.  As April draws ever closer employers will need to be wary of these impending changes and it would be wise to dedicate time over the coming weeks to proactively prepare their business for these new requirements.


charlotteobserver--2019-12-30--New NC law means school workers must be trained to spot signs of sex trafficking

All North Carolina school districts must pick by Wednesday an employee training program for reporting and preventing child sexual abuse and sex trafficking.  The new training requirements are part of an overhaul of the state’s sexual assault laws that include making it a Class 1 misdemeanor for anyone age 18 or over to fail to notify the authorities when he or she suspects or knows that a child is being physically or sexually abused, the News & Observer previously reported.  Other changes include extending the statute of limitations for civil suits against perpetrators of child abuse and includes a number of other safety protections for children, Carolina Public Press previously reported.  “Justice will not be denied just because it’s delayed,” Gov. Roy Cooper said at a ceremony in November where he signed the new legislation. “Finally, in North Carolina, people are required to speak up for sexually abused children.”  The need for the training is high. The former chairwoman of the state Human Trafficking Commission said North Carolina is thought to have one of the top rates of human trafficking in the nation, the News & Observer previously reported.  In November, a Durham jury convicted a man of attempted human trafficking of a 16-year-old minor and first-degree kidnapping. But human trafficking charges in North Carolina are rare and convictions rarer still, the News & Observer previously reported.  Across the state, there have been only nine human trafficking convictions, including five involving children, in North Carolina courts since 2013, according to the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission.  Senate Bill 199 was unanimously approved by state lawmakers in October. It includes a short timetable for school districts to pick a new employee training program by Jan. 1.  Tharrington Smith, a Raleigh law firm that represents several school districts, including Wake County, encouraged school boards to pass a resolution in December authorizing their superintendent to select a training program.  The law requires all public schools, including charter schools, to train school employees who work directly with students. The training program is supposed to include:  ▪ Best practices from the field of prevention.  ▪ The warning signs of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.  ▪ How to intervene when sexual abuse or sex trafficking is suspected or disclosed.  On Dec. 17, the Wake County school board authorized Superintendent Cathy Moore to select a program. The school system is closed for winter break so it was not immediately clear what program Moore might have picked since the board vote.  School board member Monika Johnson-Hostler applauded district staff for taking the time to pick the “right curriculum” for the district. Johnson-Hostler is executive director of the N.C. Coalition Against Sexual Assault and a member of the state’s Human Trafficking Commission.  “I appreciate you all not taking something off the shelf and going with it to make this quick,” Johnson-Hostler said at the board meeting. “But you and your staff are dedicated to diligently ensuring that we’re using best practices and that you are also having the conversation with the staff to ensure that we have their full buy-in for the curriculum that will be used for Wake County Public Schools.”  Some students will fall under the law  Wake school board member Jim Martin also said he supported the new law. But Martin asked whether Wake should also be training its older students because the law says adults must report to law enforcement their suspicions of sexual and physical abuse of children.  “All 18-year-olds become mandatory reporters,” Martin said. “That means most of our seniors, some of our juniors. So a lot of our students will also fall under the law.”  Paul Koh, Wake’s assistant superintendent for student support services, told Martin that staff will determine what to do with students after reviewing the district’s current training program. Wake already provides some students, such as those in grades 7-9, education about human trafficking.


newsbiscuit--2019-12-24--Uncertainty in UK Labour market post-Brexit hits Christmas dinner trimmings

The recent uncertainty regarding EU workers in Britain and their rights in a post-Brexit work landscape has lead to dwindling numbers of foreign casual workers.  This now looks set to have hit our festive boards tomorrow with many meat producers saying labour shortages have affected many of our favourite dinner trimmings.  But no tasty treat is likely to be hit harder than the nation’s much-loved pigs in blankets.  Alistair McKinley who runs a food production plant said: ‘It’s a manual operation, almost impossible to mechanise and quite frankly British people think it’s way below them to do the work. They’d rather leave production to seasonal labour yet at the same time vote for Brexit and embrace the idea that all foreigners should be “sent back to where they came from.”  One such moron, Barry Pillock, a Leave voter and who just wants to “get Brexit done” commented: ‘Well I think we should crash out of the EU and start trading on WTO terms. Just so long as I still have my pigs in blankets and a plucked and prepared oven-ready turkey for the big day I couldn’t care.’  However when the reason for the shortages was was explained to him Mr Pillock said: ‘Well can’t we just get foreigners in to do this kind of low-paid menial work like what we have always done? And by the way, mate, what exactly does WTO terms mean?’


theirishtimes--2019-03-12--Matching skills with labour market demand

Undertaking a postgraduate programme is one way in which today’s graduates are future-proofing for a constantly evolving jobs market.  Undergraduates expecting to secure employment upon finighing their primary degree might be surprised to discover that they may lack the core skills which employers look for when recruiting.  For many, the option of undertaking a postgraduate programme, which will add to and complement their existing skills, is one they need to consider. Such a programme will add a set of cross-sectoral skills to complement their CV and enhance their employability.  There is increasing confluence between sectors such as information and communications technology (ICT), business and engineering, which were once considered to be unique in their own right.  ICT now permeates almost all sectors of the economy, and similarly, strong business skills are relevant across many sectors. Accounting firms today don’t only hire accountants - they are also on the lookout for marketing, IT and engineering graduates.  Arts and journalism graduates who can bring communications and social media skills are sought after by firms who need to expand their social media and online presence. Data analytics is now the fastest-growing skill in demand and demand is set to continue in the years ahead.  The combination of data and marketing skills is perhaps the most highly sought-after combination.  Evolving IT security threats and the corresponding need for greater data protection is feeding demand for IT security roles with increased demand for dedicated cyber-security functions.  Ever-increasing investment in web-based services has created a major skills shortage for software developers with Java, NET, Python, Ruby on Rails and Scala, in particular.  The intersection between finance and technology has undergone a huge shift which is changing the face of the financial services landscape.  With dozens of Irish start-ups operating in this area, the expectation is for significant growth in this area in the coming years.  The opportunities for hybrid professionals - graduates with skills spanning financial services and technology - will continue to increase as the finance and technology sector sees increasing collaboration between government, education and industry sectors.  There are abundant opportunities for graduates with large financial institutions and smaller global tech companies operating in the financial sphere as traditional companies work towards adapting to the rise of finance and technology.  There are increasing overlaps in the skill sets required across different sectors and job roles. In addition to sector-specific skills, cross-sectoral employability skills are increasingly being sought by employers.  These include people skills, critical/analytical thinking skills, management skills and creativity, design and innovation, entrepreneurialism, team working, communications and business acumen, with ICT skills and foreign languages, and cultural awareness, which is vitally important in developing our markets outside of the British Isles in a post Brexit environment.  Languages in demand include German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, the Nordic languages and a growing need for Mandarin.  Every year dozens of companies, across a wide range of sectors, recruit graduates and postgraduates. The larger companies typically have graduate training programmes in place. They recruit graduates who can demonstrate strong academic ability, but who may have limited or even no experience of the world of work.  A graduate training programme is a way of bridging this gap by easing new entrants into the world of work and equipping them with the necessary skills required by the organisation.  Graduate training programmes tend to be up to two years long. Some will offer opportunities in different areas of the business before settling on a specific career area within the company.  Such programmes are an excellent opportunity to learn on the job, gain experience and earn some money at the same time. Graduate training programmes are a significant stepping stone to a permanent job.  Some examples of cross-sector graduate recruitment campaigns include CRH, Intel, Analog Devices, Deloitte, Bank of Ireland, ESB and Accenture.  European Movement (EM) Ireland has a long-running internship programme of three to four months, where final-year students or recent graduates undertake a placement for between three and six months in their offices in Dublin city centre. Check out CareersPortal.ie for details of other graduate recruitment programmes.  There may be a gap between the skills employers are looking for and the skills you are leaving college with. It is possible to bridge this gap.  Springboard is an initiative for higher education that offers free, part-time courses at certificate, degree and master’s level, leading to qualifications that are in demand among employers.  Most courses are one-year or less. In a rapidly shifting economic environment, Springboard courses have provided more than 35,000 people with a new skillset, specifically tailored to the needs of today’s market.  All the courses aim to reskill people in areas where job opportunities in skilled employment are growing - ICT; high-level manufacturing; medical devices; biopharma; international financial services; skills to trade internationally; entrepreneurship and business start-up; and niche skills in the construction industry.  The current Springboard+ programme offers a choice of more than 245 free, part-time and intensive conversion courses in higher education from certificate to degree to post-graduate level at certificate, degree and postgraduate level. Most are part-time, but there are also some full-time courses including ICT conversion courses. There are 8,088 free places available throughout the country.  Springboard qualifications are available in cross-enterprise skills such as innovation, enterprise/entrepreneurship, digital marketing and project management. To find out more about Springboard+ or to apply for one of its courses visit springboardcourses.ie.


thetorontostar--2019-10-15--UK labour market weakening amid Brexit uncertainty

LONDON - Brexit uncertainty appears to be finally affecting Britain’s labour market, which has been relatively resilient over the past three years in spite of a slowdown in economic growth.  The Office for National Statistics said Tuesday that the number of people in work dropped by 56,000 in the three months to August from the previous three-month period, to 32.69 million. That’s the biggest decline since the spring of 2015.  The number of people unemployed rose by 22,000 during the period 1.31 million, lifting the jobless rate to 3.9% from 3.8%. Job vacancies were also at their lowest level for nearly two years.  In another sign of weakness, earnings growth including bonuses slowed to 3.8% in the three months to August from the year before, from the 3.9% rate recorded in July.  “The Brexit-related slump in corporate confidence finally has taken its toll on the labour market,” said Samuel Tombs, chief U.K. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.  Since Britain voted to leave the EU in June 2016, the labour market has been strong as firms have opted to cut investment rather than staff. However, a decline in confidence in the past few months as the country grapples with Brexit seems to be taking its toll.  Some of the uncertainty could be lifted in coming days if Prime Minister Boris Johnson secures a Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU. Should any deal be backed by lawmakers, Britain could be on track to finally leave the EU by the scheduled Brexit data at the end of this month, if not slightly later.  Though the long-term trading relationship with the EU would still need to be negotiated, a near-term Brexit deal would mean Britain avoids a chaotic exit that most economists think would cause big economic difficulties.  Others in Parliament are hoping they can use the Brexit standoff to push through another referendum on Britain’s membership in the hope that the country votes to remain in the bloc and ensuring frictionless trade with the EU.  Get more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now


aljazeera--2019-02-06--What use is a degree if I sell eggs The job crisis under Modi

'What use is a degree if I sell eggs?': The job crisis under Modi

New Delhi, India - A grim-faced young man rustles up a quick egg snack on a pushcart at a quiet residential corner in a suburb of the Indian capital, New Delhi, as he meticulously enquires about his patrons' tastes.  Sagar Kumar, a 21-year-old undergraduate in commerce at an open university in Noida, a city adjacent to the national capital in Uttar Pradesh - the country's most populous state in the Hindi-speaking heartland - is angry.  He has been working as a roadside food vendor for a year to pay for the school fees of his younger siblings and the kidney dialysis of an ailing father. He is impatient for a government job.  "I study at night, the rest of the time I tend to this food cart and earn 500 rupees [$7] a day. What use is a commerce graduate degree to sell eggs by the roadside?" Sagar said.  In New Delhi's Tughlakabad slums, around the remnants of a medieval era fort, 24-year-old Seema is a part-time cook, but hopes to get a job as an office secretary.  "My typing speed is very good and I can add numbers. My family came to Delhi from Badayun [in Uttar Pradesh] where I wanted to get a clerical job at a government office. But I have had no luck yet. There are also safety concerns to consider when looking for a job as a woman here," she said.  India's fast-paced economic growth has failed to generate employment opportunities for over 12 million Indians who enter the job market every year.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who swept to power in 2014 on the promise to create 10 million jobs annually, has been accused of creating the worst unemployment crisis in decades.  A leaked report about India's joblessness last week revealed that unemployment rate rose to its highest level in at least 45 years.  For the first time, half of India's working-age population (15 years and above), is not contributing to any economic activity, data analysis by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) shows.  Officials at Niti Aayog, the premier government policy think-tank, said the report was not final and that sufficient jobs were being created.  Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dismissed the survey findings, saying it was "disinformation".  "If the economy is growing at 12 percent nominal growth for the last five years, it would be an economic absurdity to say that such a large economic growth, the highest in the world, doesn't lead to the creation of jobs," Jaitley told Indian news agency ANI.  "If no job creation takes place then there is social unrest. This has been a peace period where no major social agitation has been witnessed in the last five years," Jaitley, now a minister without portfolio, claimed.  But warnings about a brewing jobs crisis are not new. In December, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said labour participation rate, a measure of adults who are willing to work, has fallen to 42 percent.  In March 2018, data from the CMIE, a portal that tracks economic activity, said 31 million Indians were looking for jobs.  A report released last month by the All India Manufacturers' Organisation said 3.5 million jobs had been lost since 2016, when Modi banned about 85 percent of currency notes.  Government jobs in India are the most sought after. India's railway network recently received 19 million applications for 63,000 jobs as cleaners and track maintainers.  Sagar, son of a migrant family from Madhepura in Bihar state, says he applied for several government jobs, including at the railways which does not mandate a college degree.  Old enough to vote for the first time, he says "whoever forms the next government must help us".  "We need jobs. If you can't do that, then help us earn. I tried to get a loan for entrepreneurs, but that is a nightmare as well. So there is nowhere to turn. Neither jobs are available nor is it easy to get bank loans to fund a small business," he added.  Sagar is among the 133 million young adults who will cast their ballots when the world's biggest democracy holds a general election due in less than 100 days.  The election comes as India struggles through a period of what economists call "jobless growth".  "The jobs crisis is really bad. The medium and small scale industries and agriculture are major employers in our country. These sectors have suffered due to policy-induced shocks like a badly-implemented national services tax GST and a note ban in 2016 that broke the backs of small businesses and the informal sector," economist Prasenjit Bose told Al Jazeera.  "Even the organised sector has not grown under this government. Although public sector investments have happened, that has not translated into jobs," he said.  "The fact is that the economic growth data is being grossly overestimated. There can be no other explanation for this discrepancy between an over 7 percent GDP growth and a 45-year-high unemployment rate."  Job growth has slowed just as the biggest youth bulge the world has ever seen nears its peak in a country where more than half of its 1.3 billion people are under 25.  In cases like Sagar and Seema, a precarious labour market, socioeconomic factors and a lack of public services have made matters worse.  Since the lack of access to income is the main driver of poverty, experts warn this will also fuel an increase in inequality.  With faster but uneven economic growth in recent decades, boundaries between villages and small towns have blurred. Meanwhile, migration, mobile phones and television have ensured people are more keenly aware of how the lives of others are improving faster than their own.  In states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan, upper caste land-owning farming communities have held large protests in recent years, demanding quotas in government jobs.  Under pressure to placate the unemployed youth, the government passed a law last month offering quotas to the upper castes in public sector jobs and higher education places.  The population is rising beyond the economy's capacity to create jobs and there is insufficient job creation in the private sector, say experts.  Investment in the Indian economy is stagnating at lower levels than 2011-12 and the unorganised sector is declining, said Professor Arun Kumar, author of "Demonetisation and the Black Economy".  "The government needs to address the agricultural crisis. The unorganised sector needs a boost, you need to give them credit and support. The unorganised sector, when revived, will create demand for its own self," Kumar told Al Jazeera.  In the midst of the squabbling over jobs data, economist Kumar says it is necessary to point out the distinction between unemployment and underemployment.  "In India, we don't have social security. So if somebody loses work, they can't say we won't work. Everybody does some work here, so you see graduates pushing a cart, etc. India is characterised more by underemployment than unemployment. The problem is our unorganised sector employs 93 percent of those seeking work. It is this 93 percent that is losing jobs because this sector is in crisis," Kumar said.  This is why India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks nervous as it seeks re-election.  In a television interview last year, Prime Minister Modi had said that selling 'pakodas' (deep-fried finger food) is also a form of employment since the 'pakoda' seller would earn 200 rupees ($2.8) a day.  The remark created a huge controversy, with the opposition accusing Modi of being insensitive to people's demands for jobs. Ahead of polls, it has ratcheted up pressure on Modi over his unkept promises on jobs.  The main opposition Congress party has promised to introduce a minimum income guarantee for the poor if it wins the elections, due by May.  India's fractured political landscape, with its dozens of regional parties and caste alliances, poses a serious challenge to Modi's re-election bid.  In spite of people like Sagar and Seema's economic aspirations, regional and caste politics will play a big part in how people vote. And it will be an uphill task for the next government, irrespective of its ideological affiliation, to create all the jobs needed.


bbc--2019-02-01--US economy adds 304000 jobs in January

US economy adds 304,000 jobs in January

The US economy added a stronger-than-expected 304,000 jobs in January, official figures have shown.  The figure was far in excess of economists' forecasts of 165,000.  However, December's jobs growth figure was revised to 222,000, down from an initial estimate of 312,000.  Last month saw jobs being added in leisure and hospitality, construction, health care, transportation and warehousing, according to the US Department of Labor.  The widespread gains marked the 100th month in a row of hiring.  They were a reminder of the economy's continued strength, despite rising concerns about factors such as slowing global growth, trade tensions, and recent dips in consumer confidence.  "This is a solid report, particularly given how worried people were," said Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Bank.  The unemployment rate in January ticked up from 3.9% to 4% - a gain the Labor Department said was due to the partial shutdown of the federal government.  The shutdown was also likely to have contributed to a surge in part-time workers last month, the Labor Department said.  Overall, however, job creation in the US remains healthy - and well above the roughly 100,000 additions per month need to keep pace with growth in the working-age population.  US employers added an average of 223,000 jobs per month in 2018.  Separate surveys have also found more job openings than unemployed.  "A lot of businesses feel like they do need to find workers and they have felt that way for months," Mr Faucher said.  "We have consumers spending, we have businesses investing, so the demand is there."  The Federal Reserve this week pledged to be "patient" about further rate rises, noting that inflation pressures remain muted.  But the tight labour market has started to translate into higher wages.  The average hourly pay for private sector workers was $27.56 last month, up 3.2% year-on-year.  That was slightly slower than December's 3.3% rise. But it still marked one of the strongest year-on-year increases for any month since the financial crisis.  Analysts said January's gains do not put immediate pressure on the bank to raise rates.  But several economists said the bank is likely to increase rates later in 2019, if trends continue.  "This is a strong report, showing that labour demand continues to rise rapidly, and that wage gains continue to grind higher," said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist of Pantheon Macroeconomics.  "If wage gains rise over the next year as much they have over the past year ... the idea that the Fed won't hike further will turn to dust."


conservativehome--2019-01-24--Jobs miracle jobs mystery

Jobs miracle, jobs mystery

As David Freeman of the ONS summarised the figures:  “The number of people working grew again, with the share of the population in work now the highest on record. “Meanwhile, the share of the workforce looking for work and unable to find it remains at its lowest for over 40 years, helped by a record number of job vacancies. “Wage growth continues to outpace inflation, which fell back slightly in the latest month.”  In other words, the workforce are employed at record levels, their opportunities to find jobs are at record levels, and that combination of employers chasing employees is driving wages up in real terms. The jobs miracle is continuing to change people’s lives for the better.  And yet, it doesn’t seem to be having the same effect on the Government’s electoral prospects. I wondered a year and a half ago if the good news from the labour market was simply losing its electoral appeal. Since then, some of the possible factors I mulled – most crucially the lack of wage growth – have improved, but there is still no sign of rising economic indicators lifting the Government on their tide.  So what is going on?  It’s certainly the case that this Government talks far less about its economic record than its predecessor did – partially due to its different character, partially due to the all-consuming battle over Brexit. The economic ministers – Philip Hammond and Greg Clark – whom you might expect to take up the loudhailer on economic good news are often busy talking up economic risks as part of their campaign against No Deal, which is unlikely to help.  Meanwhile, the dark days of the recession, which loomed so large in the Coalition’s time, disappear ever further into the distance. In the years since, people have come to feel that this type of job market is the basic standard to expect, not a combination of records all at once. At the same time, myths – like the persistent belief that the majority of new jobs are zero-hours – have caught hold very deeply. It’s not unreasonable to look beyond the quantity of jobs and demand that quality should improve, too, but we are in a peculiar cultural position where people routinely talk as if the former doesn’t matter.  Finally, there’s a third possible answer, which is rather more grim from the Government’s point of view. What if there is a political bounce from the boom in employment, the strong supply of job vacancies. and a real terms rise in wages? What if that positive effect on millions of people’s lives has already given a boost to Conservative ratings and poll numbers?  After all, if it is peculiar that it has not materialised, perhaps the answer is simply that it is hidden from view. That would mean that the current opinion polls are the product of the jobs miracle – and rather than push the Prime Minister into a commanding lead, so dented is her reputation that even this important good news has only been sufficient to keep her neck and neck with Corbyn. Now that is a cautionary thought for anyone pondering a General Election.


foreignpolicy--2019-05-29--Nationalism Wont Solve Indias Job Crisis

Nationalism Won’t Solve India’s Job Crisis

India’s national elections are finally over. After six weeks and 600 million ballots, the ending offered a surprising twist, an absolutely crushing victory in the lower house of parliament for the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its standard-bearer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The lingering question now is what India’s charismatic and controversial leader will make of his stunning mandate.  In 2014, as a fresh face on the New Delhi scene, Modi campaigned heavily on hope and promises of achhe din (coming good times). A mixed record on economic reform and development, however, led the BJP to turn, this time around, to unapologetic Hindu nationalism and national security. But nationalist fever can only carry India so far in the teeth of an increasingly stretched economy—especially when it comes to providing the jobs that Indians desperately require.  Modi needs to create jobs at a rate of   a year—the number of Indians joining the workforce annually.  Half the country’s population is under 27 . Young Indians face an especially daunting array of obstacles: steadily rising unemployment, a   decline in rural jobs, and worsening inequality. Urban men between the ages of 20 and 24 make up 13.5 percent of the working-age population but an astounding 60 percent of the unemployed.  With nationalist sentiments and neighborhood antagonisms growing, Modi declaring himself a chowkidar (security guard) resonated with many voters. But, at the same time, they can identify with the altogether different virtues highlighted by the same man, who in 2014 proudly proclaimed himself the humble, lower-caste son of a chaiwallah (tea salesman) and made vikas (development) a centerpiece of his campaign.  That’s a vision that can also appeal to almost all Indians. An inclusive development agenda might help heal the wounds of a bruising campaign. Slow growth and job creation, on the other hand, will sharpen divisions.  In Modi’s first term in office, his government pursued a number of smart economic reforms. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA)—a coalition of the BJP and other right-leaning parties—deserves credit for beginning to root out corruption, demanding better governance, improving government services delivery, and strengthening business conditions. The latter, together with steps to relax foreign investment requirements, such as in construction, coal, and rail, has made a real difference.  But too often, the incremental and tentative nature of reforms belied the prime minister’s brand as a bold and decisive leader. And some sweeping measures in his first term went badly wrong. Demonetization in 2016 is widely seen as a disaster. Establishing a single indirect tax out of a byzantine system of duties levied at state borders was an  , and in need of further simplification.  And despite massive urbanization, a startling number of Indian jobs are still tied to small-plot agriculture, and too few are in the dynamic services sectors. Most significantly, Modi’s signature policy initiative, Make in India, is not on track to deliver  the originally promised 100 million new manufacturing jobs by 2022 . Not coincidentally, household consumption appears to be declining, investment is drying up, and exports have long been flat.  Mainstream voices, including Modi’s own chief economic advisor, generally agree India needs structural changes, not just tinkering with foreign direct investment rules. The government’s think tank has recently laid out a detailed blueprint for such economic reforms. Yet as the pace of change ground to a halt over the last year and a half and the country geared up for elections, a number of world-class minds ended their government service. In their place, similarly experienced and independent voices need to lead the new agenda.  Implementing such measures demands political boldness. It’s hard to imagine any Indian leader enjoying a stronger hand than Modi right now. Opposition from India’s powerful states, which regulate a wide variety of commercial activities, has often stymied reform. But not only has the BJP comfortably extended its majority in the Lok Sabha, but the party is also   in 16 of 29 states, up from seven when it rose to power in 2014.  Arguably the greatest constraint on India’s manufacturing economy has been complex rules that restrict the transfer of land, make it difficult to hire and transition workers, and  create disincentives for businesses to grow to over 100 employees . Reworking them will be politically difficult and introduce short-term pain, but there may never be a better time to set in motion  .  Labor-intensive manufacturing, construction, and services are inhibited by laws that effectively bar the door on new entrants and those leaving agriculture. Alongside additional public and private investments in health, education, and skills development (including job-producing vocational and apprenticeship programs), labor reforms offer tremendous, untapped employment generation potential for India.  The so-called license raj of red tape and gratuitous officialdom has continued to recede under Modi, but rumors of its demise are exaggerated. After early attempts at auctioning off Air India produced no suitors, the behemoth airline remains in the red and under state control. India’s banking crisis has partially subsided, but nonperforming loans in the sclerotic, primarily state-run banking system remain a drag on private investment.  If managed by an honest and transparent government, the revenues from the sale of state-owned enterprises can help underwrite the   and strategic investments in education (including job-creating vocational and apprenticeship programs), infrastructure, and urban housing. The economic multiplier effects would be felt by all Indians.  Trade liberalization has become the third rail of Indian politics—arguably even more so than labor laws. Zealously guarding local industries and import substitution industrialization really never went out of fashion. In the final year of Modi’s administration, the NDA moved backward on trade to pacify elements of its base.  India’s subdued export performance is thus unsurprising. Often sheltered from global competition by tariffs and non-trade barriers like local content requirements, and insulated at home by cumbersome workforce rules, India has a worker productivity problem. That blunts its advantages such as lower wages. Outside of capital-intensive sectors such as automobiles, India has generally not benefited much from export-led manufacturing.  To become a global manufacturing hub, India’s leaders must overcome significant political challenges. India’s upper house of parliament blocked the NDA’s initial attempt at land reform. But the BJP has been steadily accumulating seats and may enjoy a majority in the Rajya Sabha by 2020. Modi will also need to manage influential swadeshi (self-reliance) elements within his base who often see the next British East India Company lurking around every corner in any international project. Finally, the opposition Indian National Congress party will probably pick itself up off the mat and may be tempted to lean on agrarian populism (which the BJP recently indulged in as well), if past serves as prologue.  Should Modi be derailed by politics as usual, his own doubts about a reduced role for government, or his centralizing tendencies, the risks of economic failure could be dire. India’s ambitious young dreamers are passionate about progress and desperately want to feel empowered. A pervasive lack of opportunity could lead some of them toward an exclusionary religious nationalism and the scapegoating of minorities in India. The democracy’s own history shows what has transpired when mob rule broke out in 1984, 1992 to 1993, and 2002.  How Modi interprets his mandate will be critical. India’s most gifted politician in a generation is often said to have his finger on the public pulse. Behind the loose talk of dropping bombs and the nationalist bombast, it remains entirely plausible that Indians decided that Modi, warts and all, offers the best shot at economic opportunity and a better life. Yet it’s also possible that voters flocked to the promise of security—and will overlook again Modi’s economic shortcomings, if he projects the kind of strength they want while marginalizing the groups they dislike. Based on these elections, don’t count on a cowed opposition to stand up against Hindu majoritarianism.  Which version of Modi will now govern: the chaiwallah or the chowkidar? A brave, new India’s future hinges on his answer.