The unemployment rate is down to 4.6 percent, which sounds pretty good. But the unemployment rate doesn’t count people who’ve given up looking for jobs, which is why the employment-to-population ratio, especially the ‘prime-age’ ratio for those 25 through 54, may be a better measure of the health of the labor market. After I wrote about this metric, several …

  Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Etihad Airways PJSC of Abu Dhabi agreed to share seat sales in the first step of what could be deeper cooperation between the former adversaries. The two airlines will initially code-share on Etihad’s twice-daily flights linking Abu Dhabi with Frankfurt and Munich, and the German carrier’s services connecting Frankfurt with Rio de Janeiro and …

  London / AFP German discount supermarket group Lidl announced plans to create 5,000 new jobs in London as part of a major investment programme in Britain, where it is enjoying rapid growth. The food retailer said it will open 250 shops in the capital after unveiling a three-year, £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion, 1.8 billion-euro) investment plan last year that …

  Bloomberg Deliveries to China by Boeing Co., the largest U.S. exporter, support approximately 150,000 American jobs every year, Vice Chairman Ray Conner said. Chinese customers are expected to take delivery of 30 percent of all its top-selling 737 models and about 25 percent all aircraft produced in Washington State and South Carolina, Conner said Thursday at a National Committee …

  Bloomberg Cathay Dragon, the sister carrier of Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., is considering replacing all its 23 Airbus Group SE single-aisle jets as the airline proposes to modernize its narrowbody fleet. The airline has initiated a so-called request for proposal as it seeks to upgrade its 15 A320 and eight A321 aircraft, it said in an e-mail. …

  Bloomberg A surge in demand for Mediterranean holidays suggests Britons are coming to terms with a weaker pound and the threat of terrorist attacks, according to Monarch Airlines Ltd., the UK’s second-biggest leisure carrier. Vacation bookings for summer 2017 are up 40 percent, Monarch reported. While the increase may have been enhanced by lower sales during this year’s peak …

  RELAXNEWS A new year inevitably brings change, and 2017 will be no exception in the fashion world, as new runway talent breaks through and models already on the scene continue their rise to fame. So which upcoming model will catch the eye of brands and designers this year? And who will be the most bookable name at the next …

  AFP If you’re not yet familiar with the word ‘Greenery’ in fashion terms, then you’re about to be. Pantone has just named the hue its Color of the Year for 2017, and the zesty shade popped up all over the Spring/Summer 2017 catwalks last fall. Greenery is described as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first …

  Relaxnews If your leggings became a wardrobe staple this year, replacing your jeans on rest days and not solely seen on trips to the gym, then consider yourself part of one of 2016’s most fashionable trends: athleisure. So big was the trend that the Merriam-Webster dictionary included ‘athleisure’ as a new word for its 2016 edition, defining it as …

  Relaxnews Classic staples like cotton, linen, wool, denim, knits, silk and synthetic materials will evidently be on the agenda this spring. However, they won’t be the only fabrics on trend for the spring/summer 2017 season. At the last round of catwalk shows, held fall 2016, designers showcased creations made with more unusual materials or with seasonal updates of fabrics …