OECD published new Composite Leading Indicator
The indicator shows a decline in Europe while it goes up in the US. The OECD Composite Leading Indicators (CLI) dataset is a subset of the Main Economic Indicators (MEI) database. CLIs are calculated for 33 OECD countries (Iceland is not included), 6 non-member economies and 8 zone aggregates. A country CLI comprises a set of component series selected from a wide range of key short-term economic indicators mainly covered in the MEI database. link to the OECD data: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?datasetcode=MEI_CLI
Leggi suOn the Road to a New European Real Estate Association
The new European Real Estate Professions Association is at the horizon. More than 200.000 real estate agents and managers will be represented in this new association.
In May 2011 CEI members, delegates from various European countries, the members of the German Association IVD and all the participants of the European Congress in Berlin witnessed the foundation of the new European Platform of CEPI and CEI as a new roof top organization of the two major real estate agents and managers associations. It was a very moving ceremony when the document was signed in presence of more than 800 real estate professionals from around Europe in Berlin.
New Platform is already active
The new platform instantly started its work. It is an active group that makes the first steps in this new European Platform. Together with Jens‐Ulrich Kießling, who is chair of the Executive Board of the new platform, the presidents of the two European associations CEPI and CEI are the leadership team in the new rooftop organization. First Timo Multanen as CEPI President and now Claudine Speltz as new CEPI President, who took over duties in January 2012, together with Manuel Negrao, President of CEI are in the leadership team.
More Power in the representation of real estate professions
"For me the power of the European platform and the efficiency in representing the interest of the real estate agents and managers in Europe is directly connected with a strong presence of our group in Brussels" said Manuel Negrao as President of CEI. "The new political platform will become the new European association for real estate professions in the next 12 months", he added. It is important to achieve a higher importance in political decisions in Brussels for all real estate agents and managers. Until now the political interests of real estate professions are considered insufficiently. This will be changed.
During the next 12 months the two Boards of CEPI and CEI will make all necessary preparations to become one association. The Executive Board is preparing all the documents, the votes and fees and all the paperwork.
All European Associations invited to participate
"The new association will be the stronger the more national associations will be part of the new association and the power of this new association will be more intense the more input we receive from the national associations", said Negrao. "We will create the future of the real estate business and the framework for the estate professions in Europe together" Manuel Negrao is convinced.
Leggi suSmall companies create 85% of new jobs
Have you ever thought about the importance of small companies for job creation and the job market in Europe? 85% of net new jobs in the EU between 2002 and 2010 were created by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This figure is considerably higher than the 67%-share of SMEs in total employment. During this period, net employment in the EU's business economy rose substantially, by an average of 1.1 million new jobs each year. These are the main results of a study on the essential contribution of SMEs on job creation presented by the European Commission today.
Annual growth higher than in the average
With 1% annually, the employment growth for SMEs was higher than for large enterprises with 0.5%. A clear exception is the trade sector, in which employment in SMEs increased by 0.7% annually, compared to 2.2% in large enterprises. This is due to the strong increase of large trade enterprises, in particular in sales, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.58 % of jobs in micro-firms
Within the SME size-class, micro firms (less than 10 employees) are responsible with 58% for the highest proportion of total net employment growth in the business economy. Secondly new firms (younger than five years) are responsible for an overwhelming majority of the new jobs. New enterprises operating in business services create more than a quarter (27%) of the new jobs, while the new firms in transport and communication contribute least (6%).SME confirming their role
Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Entrepreneurship and Industry said: "In this critical time for European economy, we see small enterprises delivering and confirming their role as main generators of new jobs. Their significant share in job creation highlights the greater than ever economic relevance of SMEs and the need to support them at all levels. The small and new enterprises are clearly the key for restoring economic growth".
More information can be found on the webpage of the SME Performance Review:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/performance-review/index_en.htm
Main effects of the crisis: smaller enterprises report negative impacts more often
According to the results of the survey, the economic crisis has left its mark on enterprises from all size-classes, with micro firms being particularly vulnerable. As a result of the 2009/2010 economic crisis the number of jobs in the SME-sector has on average decreased by 2.4% annually, as against 0.95% annually in the large enterprises sector. Employment developments are still negative in 2010, but expectations for 2011 were improving at the time the survey was held. The share of firms that expected to lay off employees in 2011 was smaller than the share of firms that actually laid off employees in 2010.
Besides the employment effects, by far the most important negative effect of the crisis on firms is the overall decline of total demand for their products and services (mentioned by 62% of companies), followed by the increase in customer payment terms (mentioned by 48% of firms) and finally the shortage of working capital, which affected 31% of the respondents.
Innovativeness is a weapon against the crisis
Innovation seems to have a positive effect: innovative enterprises, as well as enterprises from more innovative countries, more often report employment growth and have higher employment growth rates.
The survey underlines that innovative SMEs or companies operating in more innovative economies suffered less from the economic crisis. For example, while the decline in overall demand is mentioned by 70% of enterprises in countries that are considered modest innovators[1][2], the corresponding figure is 45% for countries which are innovation leaders.
Job quality in SMEs
The study distinguishes two broad dimensions of the job quality: employment quality and work quality. On average it is true that jobs in small enterprises are less productive, less remunerated, and less unionised than jobs in large enterprises. However, microenterprises report that they have a competitive advantage over their competitors as far as 'soft' aspects of the human resource aspects of an enterprise are concerned: working climate, work-life balance, working-time arrangements.
Background
The study is part of the SME Performance Review project and based on a survey of enterprises conducted at the end of 2010 and covering the 27 EU member states and 10 other countries participating in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, namely Albania, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey.
See full Press Release of EU unter the following link:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/20&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Pictures: www.fotolia.de; Website EU Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/tajani/multimedia/photo-gallery/index_en.htm
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Business Climate Indicator improves in the euro area
The Business Climate Indicator (BCI) for the euro area increased for the first time in ten months in December 2011. The improvement in the BCI in December was mainly driven by increased optimism about production expectations, as well as by a more positive assessment of production trends observed in recent months and export order books. By contrast, managers were more pessimistic about their overall order books, and their assessments of stocks of finished products marginally increased. See full Press Release under the following link: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/5&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Leggi suEU modernises the Professional Qualifications Directive
The real estate sector is highly involved and interested in the evaluation of the Professional Qualifications Directive. In many countries in europe the real estate professions are unregulated. In other countries the profession is regulated. With the modernisation of the Professional Qualifications Directive the situation for real estate professions shall improve in many countries.
