As a country’s economy progresses and relative competitiveness shifts in comparison with other countries, inevitably the composition of its job market also changes.

Some sectors and industries grow, creating new jobs, whilst others shrink as they become less important or jobs move to other countries who can do it better or cheaper. Even more so as trade and interaction between countries increases.

This article from Forbes shows the top 20 growing and disappearing jobs in the USA in 2007.

There are some surprises - amidst much talk of the poor state of the airline industry, aircraft assembly workers was one of the main growth areas.

And fallout from the credit crunch hasn’t yet hit financial analysts, whose numbers increased by 16% from 2006 to 2007.

The top 3 disappearing jobs? Sewing machine operators, home appliance repairers and engine & machine assemblers.

Russia’s economy is booming, helped partly by its $1bn a day in energy exports.

This economic success is propelling a new revival in Russian film making, subsidised by the government or private investors, with demand supplied by young working Russians with money to spend.

The International Herald Tribune explains that the tastes of the domestic audience are quite different to those of the international markets. Whilst its art house films are more popular on the international stage, Russians at home like patriotic films covering topics like Soviet-era wars or historical events.

Australia is campaigning to get more people to use the bicycle for transport. Unlike in many other countries, women and older people in Australia are less likely to cycle, and the government is keen to change this.

The Cycling Promotion Fund encourages Australians to get into cycling as a way to stay healthy and help the environment.

But those aren’t the only benefits - bicycle use in Australian cities rose by an average of 22% between 2001 and 2006 and a new study by the Cycling Promotion Fund has calculated that this saved the government an impressive $227.2m AUD (US$217m) every year in healthcare costs. Via Treehugger

The Syrian city of Aleppo, near the Turkish border, is an atmospheric place to discover Syrian culture.

Photo: Skylife magazine

Aleppo is historically a trading town, once one of the silk road towns on the famous route which brought silk from China to Europe. In a fitting way for such a cultural crossroads, bargaining is carried out in Arabic, Turkish, French or a mixture of the three languages.

Turkish Airlines magazine describes a bus journey to this ancient city.

“they have an average of three years more education than their parents, a worse job and a lower standard of living”

The Observer explains how a generation of well-educated young professionals in several European countries are realising that they cannot hope to achieve the quality of life enjoyed by their own parents.

In contrast with the fast growing economies of developing countries such as India and China, in Western Europe growth is slowing, and job markets have been stagnant for several years. Rising inflation, high property prices and low wages mean that young people find life increasingly difficult.

In France they are called the ‘baby losers’, in Spain they are ‘Mileuristas’ and in Italy ‘Milleuristi’ (meaning those who earn 1000 euros per month)

According to the Observer, the closed job markets of these countries is a major obstacle. Inflexible labour laws encourage those who have jobs to hang on to them at all costs, at the expense of younger job seekers.

These are certainly not the poorest people in Europe. But it is a disappointing situation for a generation which grew up believing that a good education is the key to a good future, and now cannot find a job that pays the bills.

Multicultural.co.uk is a website written for UK businesses, to help them work better with multicultural employees and customers. However if you’re just interested in learning more about how people of different cultures and religions think and behave, you will also find some useful information here.

In particular, you can follow short online courses to learn about the major faiths (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism) and country-specific courses on China, Russia and India. At the end of each course there is a downloadable pdf guide.

The country courses contain many cultural tips such as:

• Chinese people may find it difficult to say ‘no’ even if they mean it. It’s unlikely you’ll ever hear a Chinese person saying something like ‘speak your mind’
• Indian names often do not follow the same pattern as western names. Some Indians use their occupation, caste or even ancestral village as a sort of surname
• Russians prefer to eat a hot and substantial meal at lunchtime

An interesting read if you want to learn more about any of these cultures or religions, and will also come in useful for anyone planning to visit or do business in Russia, India or China.

The Chinese government is planning to invest $9bn in infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in return for the opportunity to mine copper and cobalt (and reap the profits). Money will be invested in roads, railway, hospitals and universities, and work on the first projects has already started.

This BBC Newsnight documentary which you can watch online explains more about the deal, which looks like it could be an innovative solution to a state with problems typical of many African countries. In particular, DR Congo’s infrastructure is seriously under-developed due to lack of investment. The terms stipulate that for every Chinese worker the venture must employ 4 locals, and that 1% of the investment will be spent on technology transfer and education of Congolese staff.

However some human rights groups are worried that the full details of the agreement have not been published. With the return from the mine estimated at around $72bn, of which two-thirds will go to China, there has also been some criticism that the returns are exploitative compared to the investment. The context is clearly different, but this funding agreement has many similarities with venture capital. In that case, the magnitude of the returns does not look so unusual.

Camels are often called ’ships of the desert’, because they can easily withstand tough conditions to travel through desert country. However they are gradually being replaced by motor vehicles, which can cover the long distances much faster.

Until recently, that is. The rising cost of tractor fuel means that once again the camel is economically viable as a means of transport. This article from the FT explains how in Rajastan camels are making a comeback (free to view but registration may be required).

Could this trend mean good news for the dying trade of the sahara camel train as well? Via Treehugger

A few weeks ago Global Culture blog featured a post about people who are open to new experiences. One of the points of the post was that cities of the USA which have been more open to receiving immigrants are now hubs for creativity and innovation.

In other words, immigrants can have a positive effect on a community because they bring new skills, an open mind and create global connections.

One early and important example of this phenomenon was the town of Huntsville in Alabama. Home to a space programme led by German scientists after World War II, the town supplied the brains behind the launch of the first American satellite in 1958 and put astronauts on the moon in 1969.

So what was the effect of opening up to immigration on this one-time cotton market town? It is now a thriving city of 170,000 people and has one of the highest concentrations of scientists and engineers in the USA.

Migration from Poland to the United Kingdom over the 4 years since Poland joined the EU has been the largest wave of migration to the UK in centuries. Immigrants typically find work as plumbers, builders or manual work on farms.

The UK economy has benefitted enormously from this migration wave, especially small businesses who previously found it hard to recruit enough employees. However as prospects improve in Poland, many immigrants are thinking about going home. Others have decided to stay in the UK, and are taking part in community activities such as teaching locals about Polish culture and traditions.

This article from the Independent looks at the reasons behind their decision to stay or leave, and the potential consequences for the UK.

What are your views on migration? Do the positive effects outweigh the negative ones? Please let us know what you think in the comments.