German online recruitment activity as measured by the Monster Employment Index fell slightly by five points. The German Index is now down 18 percent year-on-year with employer demand continuing to trend lower. Nevertheless, worker demand has declined less in Germany than for the EU as a whole.
The Monster Employment Index France increased six points in April as demand for healthcare and other government workers continued rising. Demand in hospitality and tourism also increased as leisure related businesses prepare for the upcoming summer season. Compared to the European Index, which experienced an annual decline of 33 percent, demand in the French online job market is holding up relatively well, as offerings only saw a decline of 27 percent compared to year-earlier figures.
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for Spain declined 0.1 percent. The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) decreased 0.9 percent in March.
The Monster Employment Index UK increased by two percent in April. This was the second monthly rise in three months, suggesting that UK job demand may be starting to stabilise. Year-on-year, however, the Index was down 67 points, or 37 percent.
Auriemma Consulting Group has published research that indicates that British consumers are less likely to have credit card debt than they were before the credit crunch. By the end of 2008, consumers users were 21% less likely to be burdened by credit card debt than they were at the beginning of the year. In Q1 2008, 63% of British consumers carried balances on their credit cards. By the end of 2008, the incidence of revolving debt on credit cards fell to just 50%.
In March 2009 all average MFI interest rates, both on new business and on outstanding amounts of deposits and loans, were substantially lower than in the previous month.
The European Commission has set out clear guidance for EU telecoms regulators on the cost-based method to be used when calculating termination rates – the wholesale fees charged by operators to connect the call from another operator's network which are part of everyone's phone bill.
As of May 2009 EU citizens will find it easier to buy a new vehicle in any EU Member State. Previously many EU citizens have been discouraged from buying a vehicle beyond their own borders due to administrative burdens. With the help of a Certificate of Conformity formalities will now be much easier.
The EU held a special summit in Prague dedicated to tackling the impact of the economic crisis on jobs in Europe. The Troika Presidencies (the Czech, Swedish and Spanish governments) joined the European Commission, employers and trade unions to pool their best ideas on how to keep people in work and help them back into new jobs. The summit identified ten actions to fight unemployment and create new jobs. The Commission will build on the summit's discussions when formulating its input to the European Council of 18-19 June.
The European Parliament adopted a legislative report by Othmar Karas (EPP-ED, AT) which amends the "Capital Requirements" Directives to improve the transparency and the supervision of the financial system to ensure proper risk management in the banking sector.
