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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Five phrases make Boomers sound totally out of touch to Generation Z
As time goes by, our language evolves, and so does our culture, so what may have been a well-used phrase back in your day may just fall on deaf ears in 2025 As the years pass, our language and culture evolve, meaning phrases that were once commonplace may now fall on deaf ears in 2025. In the 1960s or even the 1980s, the cultural landscape for young people was vastly different, with their financial situations, career prospects, and relationships differing greatly from today's youth. What might seem like a helpful comment from someone from the Boomer generation could come across as out of touch to a modern 20-something. For Generation Z, those born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s, context is key, and these well-known sayings might just make them wince. Why are you always on your phone? This kind of remark can instantly demonise technology, without considering its integral role in contemporary life. Ironically, baby boomers are one of the fastest-growing demographics on Facebook, according to Sprout Social, reports the Express. It might be time to understand what Gen Z are really doing on these devices. We never needed therapy-people just dealt with their problems Younger generations are increasingly opting for healing and finding useful tools to manage their emotions, which should be celebrated. Dealing with problems means exactly that - discussing them, understanding them, and then resolving them - and therapy is a valuable tool for many to achieve this. I don't see colour - we're all the same By claiming that colour isn't something you take into account, you can ignore the realities faced by people of colour, whether that's the prejudice they encounter or the historical context behind their heritage. The way many Gen Z individuals view it is that the goal isn't to be colour-blind, but to acknowledge it, comprehend it, and actively oppose racism. Kids these days have it so much easier On the face of it, it might appear that yes, life is simpler, such as getting takeaways, discovering fresh information, or reaching people, but loads of other aspects are tougher. Purchasing property, dealing with social media demands, and existing in a volatile economy are all challenges younger generations confront daily. You can't say anything anymore Gen Z generally are better at attempting to employ inclusive terminology and consider more compassionately the influence behind their words. Grasping how the things you express might affect others can only be beneficial, and criticising younger generations for this feels like moving backwards.
Fast Company
18 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
The real reason a staggering 40% of U.S. homeowners are mortgage-free
Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert's ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. Here's a stat that would likely make financial adviser and radio personality Dave Ramsey—who has long advocated for Americans to pay off their mortgages early as a key pillar of his debt-free philosophy—at least somewhat pleased: A staggering 39.8% of U.S. owner-occupied housing units in 2023 were mortgage-free, marking a new high for this data series. That's up from 39.3% in 2022 and 32.8% in 2010. Among the 85.7 million U.S. homeowner occupied households, 34.1 million are mortgage-free. The other 51.6 million have an outstanding mortgage. So why did I say it'd only make Dave Ramsey 'somewhat pleased'? Well, the reason is that a higher percentage of Americans are mortgage-free isn't necessarily because so many are paying off their mortgages faster. Instead, it reflects a powerful underlying demographic shift: the aging composition of the American population. As Americans live longer, the U.S. fertility rate declines, and the massive baby boomer generation ages into their senior years, the U.S. population has skewed older. Since older homeowners are more likely to have paid off their mortgages, the aging composition of the American population means a larger share of homeowners are achieving mortgage-free status each year. The other thing is that when older Americans sell their house and buy another home, they're more likely to rollover their equity and purchase that next home in all-cash. Given that most demographic forecasts expect the composition of the American population to continue shifting upward in age, the share of mortgage-free households could also continue rising in the years to come. The wild card? If reverse mortgages get more popular and more older Americans take on mortgage debt again to tap into their equity.
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
July jobs report may show growing impact of Trump's immigration crackdown
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is taking a growing toll on a weakening labor market, economists say. Forecasters surveyed by Bloomberg estimate the Labor Department on Friday, Aug. 1 will report the U.S. gained 109,000 jobs in July, down from 147,000 in June and a monthly average of 130,000 this year. While business demand for workers is also flagging amid uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariffs, a shrinking supply of job candidates is crimping payroll growth in industries with outsize shares of foreign-born workers, such as agriculture, construction, restaurants and food manufacturing. After rising sharply since the pandemic, food manufacturing employment has been stagnant this year, Labor Department figures show. Construction payrolls were up 35,000 the first half of 2025, compared to 104,000 during the same period a year earlier. "This crackdown is beginning to have a more marked impact on labor supply," Capital Economics wrote in a recent note to clients. Why is the US labor force participation rate so low? The U.S. labor force – which includes people working and looking for jobs – shrank by 130,000 in June and is down by 364,000 since January. The share of adults in the workforce dipped to 62.3% last month, the lowest since December 2022. Other forces are also constricting the labor supply, most notably baby boomer retirements, said economist Dante DeAntonio of Moody's Analytics. But for now, he said, "The immigration story is by far the bigger story." The number of migrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has climbed from an average of 15,000 a month in 2024 to nearly 40,000 in early June, according to Capital Economics. And deportations have risen from an annualized rate of 400,000 early in the year to about 600,000 recently, Goldman Sachs said. Immigrants are also voluntarily leaving the country at a yearly rate of about 100,000, the research firm said. Meanwhile, immigrants entered the country seeking asylum and for other humanitarian reasons at an annual rate of 300,000 in May and June, down from 1 million to 2 million last year, according to a Goldman report. All told, the foreign-born labor force has contracted by more than 1 million people the last four months, Capital Economics said. In May, a record 5.4 million people who were working left the labor force altogether, Moody's said, citing Labor figures. Arrests and deportations could have picked up further in July after the Supreme Court recently lifted a judge's order requiring that migrants first be given the chance to show they would be harmed if removed to countries other than their own, Capital Economics said. 'It's pretty dire' Under Trump administration policies, many immigrants have lost their "temporary protected status," which allowed them to stay in the U.S. because of safety concerns in their home countries. As a result, businesses are losing notable portions of their workforces, said Amy Peck, a lawyer at the Jackson Lewis law firm in Omaha, Nebraska. Many foreign-born workers toil in unskilled jobs such as dishwashing or moving parts across factor floors. "Even at higher wages, some jobs are not attractive to American workers," she said. Restaurants are coping by closing early or consolidating locations while manufacturers are eliminating shifts, Peck said. "They're coming up with creative ways to deal with a reduced workforce," she said. "It's pretty dire." How do immigrants contribute to the labor force? The developments mark an extraordinary reversal. From 2019 to 2024, immigrants made up 88% of the nation's labor force growth, according to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonpartisan research organization. That relieved widespread pandemic-related worker shortages that fueled inflation. Is immigration to the US declining? But after averaging 2.6 million to 3.3 million from 2022 to 2024, net immigration to the U.S. – which includes people entering and leaving the country – has settled into a steady annual rate of 500,000, according to the the Congressional Budget Office and Goldman Sachs. That compares to about 900,000 before the pandemic. Foreign-born people made up 19.1% of the labor force in June, down from 19.8% in March. "It will be difficult or impossible for some companies in (affected) industries to replace lost workers," Moody's economist Marisa DiNatale wrote in a report. "This puts upward pressure on inflation as wages go higher and companies raise prices to afford the higher wage bills," she said. Immigration-related worker shortages will likely cut the nation's potential annual economic growth from 2% to 1%, she added. The trends have created a split-screen picture of America's job market. In industries such as construction, hospitality and agriculture, employers can't find workers because of the immigration restrictions. In white-collar fields, workers can't find jobs as employers pull back hiring amid the broader economic uncertainty, DeAntonio said. Taken together across the economy, the smaller pool of job seekers roughly has offset the softer demand, nudging down the unemployment rate from 4.2% to a historically low 4.1% in June. A stable unemployment rate could keep the Fed from cutting interest rates this year despite flagging job growth, Capital Economics said. DeAntonio, however, believes a significant drop-off in job gains will prompt the Fed to act even if unemployment holds steady.
National Observer
20 hours ago
- Business
- National Observer
Provincial deficits will narrow in coming years despite trade war: report
Under pressure from the US trade war and a slowing economy, Canada's provinces are all expected to run fiscal deficits this year — but a Conference Board of Canada report predicts those deficits will narrow in the coming years. The report released Tuesday paints a picture of provinces struggling to balance their books. Not long after emerging from a pandemic that caused deficits to balloon, Canada's provinces are now staring down the barrel of a trade war. Most provinces have put up contingency funds in this year's budgets to support workers and critical industries through the tariff dispute. Many are also aligning with the federal government to push forward major infrastructure projects in the coming years, putting pressure on capital spending. Just as provinces are drawing down their coffers, they're also bracing for a hit to the economy. "When we see a slowdown in economic activity, that leads to less job creation, less spending, less incomes and less corporate profits," said Richard Forbes, principal economist at the Conference Board. "And these are … major drivers of provincial revenues." Also hampering provincial revenues is a slowdown in population growth as Ottawa tamps down on the flow of immigration. Many provinces are also facing demographic woes due to an aging population and baby boomers exiting the workforce — another drag on income tax revenue. A growing number of retirees also drives up demand for health-care spending. Forbes said that with the federal government's new immigration caps, population growth is likely to hit a wall in the coming years. That would limit any relief newcomers offer the labour market as older Canadians exit the workforce. The Conference Board report cites the example of Newfoundland and Labrador, which it says is expected to see its population shrink by 10,000 over the next five years. Quebec and most of the Maritimes are also expected to feel the "sting" of an aging population, the report said. Prince Edward Island, meanwhile, is experiencing the strongest population growth of any province in recent years. A 25-per cent increase in population over 10 years has helped to lower P.E.I.'s median age by 2.6 years, the report said. The Conference Board's forecast assumes the economy contracted in the second quarter of the year as tariffs and uncertainty sank manufacturing activity. The think tank predicts a modest return to growth through the rest of the year. At the tail end of the provinces' planning horizons, the Conference Board report sees governments reining in spending, which is expected to narrow those deficits by the end of the decade. The federal government has announced plans to balance the operating side of its budget over the next three years. Forbes said he expects to see similar trimming by the provinces in areas such as public administration. " Speaking broadly, of course, we are seeing provinces showing more prudence when it comes to their spending plans over the last couple of years," he said. Some provinces, including Saskatchewan and Alberta, are forecast to return to annual budget surpluses before 2030. The Conference Board says Canada's Prairie provinces are in relatively secure fiscal positions, thanks in part to younger demographics and some insulation from tariffs. Provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are expected to pivot their economies towards renewable energy in the years ahead, but Forbes noted that prospects for the oil and gas sector will continue to weigh heavily on the fiscal outlooks in those provinces. Ontario is also expected to see a balanced budget by the end of the decade. The Conference Board says accelerated infrastructure spending will drive up debt in the short term but planned moderation in health care and education expenditures will support deficit elimination. Quebec is in a "difficult position," the report says, with the province particularly penned in by weak demographic momentum, heightened economic uncertainty and growing demand for health-care and education spending. But the Conference Board says Quebec can find its way back to a modest surplus by 2029 if the province can deliver on spending restraint. British Columbia also faces a steep deficit, the Conference Board says, but a slowdown in spending and rising natural gas royalties are expected to help it climb out of that fiscal hole in the coming years. The federal government's infrastructure agenda could also be a boon for the province, the report notes. While New Brunswick is praised in the report for its displays of fiscal restraint in recent years, the Conference Board points to an aging population and the forestry industry's tariff exposure as serious revenue challenges. Nova Scotia is also expected to face challenges tied to a slowing economy, particularly as a lack of private sector investment and housing activity weigh on growth. Forbes said that while the Conference Board's forecast assumes trade uncertainty will diminish next year, the provinces' fiscal pictures could deteriorate further if Canada's tariff dispute with the United States persists. Part of the value of the Conference Board's exercise is that it puts all provincial budget plans through a uniform scenario, he said — unlike the various hypotheticals that underpin each individual province's spending plan. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
China mum wraps baby's index finger to stop ‘unhygienic' sucking, leads to tissue damage
A Chinese mother who wrapped up her baby's finger to prevent the child from chewing it almost caused the digit to be amputated. On July 14, anxious young parents took their 11-month-old daughter to the Hunan Children's Hospital in central China's Hunan province. They did so because the baby's index finger was swollen and purple. Little Lele's index finger became swollen and discoloured as a result of her mother wrapping it up. Photo: Sina The mother told the doctor that she had done so for the baby, nicknamed Lele, to prevent her from chewing her finger. She said her family believed that finger chewing was unhygienic and could negatively affect the development of the baby's teeth. She read online that tying the baby's finger up woulde be effective. She said she only wrapped her baby's index finger 'loosely'. The family was frightened when they saw her finger the next morning.
