Mom understands: The recession is taking a toll on Mother’s Day, with spending expected to drop by 10.6%. The National Retail Federation says Americans will spend an average of $123.89 on Mother’s Day gifts, such as meals, jewelry, cards and flowers. That compares with the $138.63 average that was spent on moms last year. The NRF says budget gifts, such as digital cameras, books and apparel, will be popular.
Tough market: The hunt for summer jobs for teenagers is tough, because of competition from unemployed adults, reports USA Today. Last summer was the worst teen employment market in six decades, reports the Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies, with 32.7% of teens holding down jobs. That’s down from 45% in summer 2000. Because the minimum wage is set to go up to $7.25 an hour in late July, from the current $6.55 an hour, employers are inclined to hire adults in order to get the best value for their money.
Jacob still tops for boys: Emma is the new favorite name for baby girls, ending Emily’s 12-year reign, and Jacob remained the favorite among boys for the 10th straight year, the Social Security Administration said today. Emma debuted in the top 10 in 2002, the same year Jennifer Aniston’s character on Friends gave the name to her TV show baby. In the 2008 rankings, Emma was followed by Isabella, Emily, Madison and Ava. The top five boys remained unchanged from 2007. Jacob was followed by Michael, Ethan, Joshua and Daniel. Barack jumped a record 10,126 spots to No. 2,409, and Elvis dropped from 673 to 713.
