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As the public markets warm up to venture-backed companies, corporate acquirers are pulling back. In the second quarter of 2011, 109 venture-backed companies achieved liquidity, netting $11.2 billion, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. That represents a 13% decrease in exits and 26% increase in capital raised from the second quarter of 2010.

From December 2009 to December 2010, employment increased in 220 of the 326 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Elkhart, Ind., posted the largest percentage increase, with a gain of 5.2 percent over the year, compared with national job growth of 0.9 percent. Within Elkhart, the largest employment increase occurred in manufacturing, which gained 4,185 jobs over the year (10.3 percent). Manatee, Fla., experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 4.0 percent.

Unemployment rates were lower in May than a year earlier in 274 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 85 areas, and unchanged in 13 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Ten areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 17 areas registered rates of less than 5.0 percent. Two hundred one metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 157 reported decreases, and 14 had no change. The national unemployment rate in May was 8.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 9.3 percent a year earlier.

Online advertised vacancies were down 99,700 in June to 4,371,500 according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine™ (HWOL) Data Series. The June drop partially offsets the rise of 148,800 in May. The Supply/Demand rate stands at 3.11, indicating there were just over 3 unemployed for every online advertised vacancy in May, the latest monthly data available for unemployment.

Nine out of 10 Americans who meet the medical criteria for addiction started smoking, drinking, or using other drugs before age 18, according to a national study released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined in May, decreased again in June. The Index now stands at 58.5 (1985=100), down from 61.7 in May. The Present Situation Index decreased to 37.6 from 39.3. The Expectations Index declined to 72.4 from 76.7 last month.

The proportion of the population employed in 2010 - the employment-population ratio - was 18.6 percent among those with a disability, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The employment-population ratio for persons without a disability was 63.5 percent. The ratios in 2010 for both persons with and without a disability were lower than those recorded in 2009. The unemployment rate of persons with a disability was 14.8 percent in 2010, higher than the rate for those with no disability, which was 9.4 percent.

After a few months of inching upwards, President Obama's rating on how he is handling the economy is moving downward, tying his lowest rating ever, in of October of last year. This month just one-quarter of Americans (27%) give the President positive ratings on the overall job he is doing on the economy while almost three-quarters (73%) give him negative marks. Last month, one-third (32%) gave him positive marks and 68% gave the president negative ratings on the economy.

In 2010, 82 percent of employed persons worked on an average weekday, compared with 35 percent on an average weekend day, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data include the average amount of time per day in 2010 that individuals worked, did household activities, and engaged in leisure and sports activities. Additionally, measures of the average time per day spent providing childcare - both as a main activity and while doing other things - for the combined years 2006-10 are provided. Except for childcare, activities done simultaneously with primary activities were not collected.

Employers took 1,599 mass layoff actions in May involving 143,540 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in May increased by 35, or 2 percent, from April, while the number of associated initial claims decreased by 387, or less than 1 percent. In May, 373 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 38,673 initial claims; both figures increased over the month.