London calling: London remains the most popular European destination for U.S. travelers this summer, according to a discount flight Web site. Skyscanner.com says the U.K. capital is the destination most Americans are searching for, followed by Paris, Rome and Dublin. Athens saw the biggest increase in U.S. searches, the number of travelers searching for discount fares to the Greek city were up 224% over summer 2008. Skyscanner says the dollar has been gaining strength against the Euro, making trips abroad more affordable.
Help wanted: A new report says 19% of American employers are having trouble finding workers, despite the current recession. The Manpower 2009 Talent Shortage Survey says the biggest demand for U.S. employers is for engineers, followed by nurses and skilled tradesmen. Overall, 30% of employers across the world are having trouble finding employees, despite the worldwide economic downturn. Romania is having the most difficulty attracting workers, with 62% of the businesses surveyed say they are having problems. The talent shortage was less of a problem in Ireland, where 5% of employers report hiring problems. See the full report here.
You’ve got mail: Time Warner Inc. is dumping AOL after spending nearly a decade trying to build a new-age media empire only to wind up in a weaker position than when the marriage began. The divorce, announced today, will spin out AOL as a separate company run by former Google Inc. advertising executive Tim Armstrong. He was hired in March to try to restore the luster to a brand once known as America Online. Although AOL has been eclipsed by Google and other Internet stars, Armstrong still can try to build on a wide-reaching online ad network as well as AOL’s Web sites, which remain a relatively big draw. Time Warner owns 95% of AOL and will buy out Google Inc.’s 5% stake during the third quarter for an undisclosed amount. From there, AOL will be spun off into a separate publicly traded company around the end of the year.
