Weekend Digest: The Jobs Of The Future Edition

For our weekend business and political readers:

JOBS OF THE FUTURE
As we know, new technology will change the kind of jobs people have in the future, but have you ever imagined what some might be?

New technology will eradicate some jobs, change others, and create whole new categories of employment. Innovation causes a churn in the job market. Don”t be surprised if one day you”ve taken on the position of microbial balancer, corporate disorganizer, or urban shepherd.  Or how about a digital death manager?

A New York trend-spotting firm has come up with eight “imaginative next-generation jobs.” Click here to find out about the jobs and their “imaginative” job descriptions.

THE TOP-EARNING ACTRESS ON TV
They are called the “Queens of Prime Time” and Forbes has compiled a list of the top earning TV actresses along with the big bucks they are pulling in.

The Forbes Celebrity 100 list looks at the earnings of American celebrities during a specific time period—this year June 2012 through June 2013—and counts cash only for projects completed and contracts made good on during that time. This breakaway list tallies the take-home of the talented women of prime time, and includes not just their work on TV projects, but also the oh-so-lucrative endorsement and licensing deals that have come as a result. All told, the 20 top-paid TV actresses earned a cumulative $183 million.

Click on this link to find out who these lucratively paid ladies are, including one who has really come on strong because of a Big Bang.

DIVERSITY AT WORK
Harvard Business Review says, “Business leaders send a powerful message when they demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion that goes beyond rhetoric.”

But how does diversity make its way to the top of a CEO’s agenda? To find out, we interviewed 24 CEOs from around the globe who ran companies and corporate divisions that had earned reputations for embracing people from all kinds of backgrounds. These executives represented a wide range of industries and regions, as well as different stages on the journey to creating an inclusive culture.

The Review says, “To find leaders who were at the forefront of the diversity movement, we first identified companies with reputations for successfully leveraging diversity.”

Find out who these leaders and their companies are, and why they were chosen at this link.

NEW ROLE FOR TWITTER
Twitter is many things, but is it a leadership tool? Michael Hyatt thinks so and in a recent post he explains why. Here”s an outtake:

Twitter provides an unprecedented opportunity for people like us to extend and amplify our influence. You don’t have to buy time on television or radio. You don’t have to write a book or magazine column. You don’t even have to blog.

Want more?  Go to this link for the full leadership guide for Twitter.

DOES WELFARE PAY MORE THAN MINIMUM WAGE?
It does in 35 states, reports Forbes.

Since 2009, the Fair Labor Standards Act has dictated that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Some people think that’s too low; others think it’s too high. But it turns out that, in 35 states, it’s a better deal not to work – and instead, to take advantage of federal welfare programs — than to take a minimum-wage job.

That’s according to a new study published by the Cato Institute, says Forbes.

“The current welfare system provides such a high level of benefits that it acts as a disincentive for work,” Tanner and Hughes write in their new paper. “Welfare currently pays more than a minimum-wage job in 35 states, even after accounting for the Earned Income Tax Credit.”

Learn more about the study with accompanying graphics and find out how many states can pay $15 an hour for welfare recipients by clicking this link for the full story.

NEW OWNER OF THE WASHINGTON POST
He is the founder of Amazon and sent shock waves through the world of journalism with his purchase of the storied Washington Post. His name is Jeff Bezos.

While journalism is a different beast than tech, Bezos has wrangled with free speech issues and censorship concerns: from the company’s decision to yank WikiLeaks off its servers to the filtered options that popped up on its website affiliate in China. These moves have triggered anxiety as the industry digs for clues into how he will handle the powerful role of Washington Post publisher.

Bezos paid $250 million for the Washington Post and this week for the first time he visited its newsroom. How did the visit go and what is the expert analysis about how this tech king will mesh with an old school newspaper?  Click here to find out.

COMPROMISE “STINKS” ACCORDING TO NEW POLL
Do voters prefer a candidate who compromises or stands up for what they believe in?

Asked whether they preferred a candidate who “stands up for what he or she believes” or one who “compromises to get things done,” 50 percent choose the first option.

That”s just one of the questions in the poll regarding issues surrounding compromise.

Click on this link to learn more about the poll results surrounding that nasty word “compromise” and learn what the Washington Post says voters really want instead from their leaders.

DOING AWAY WITH THE INCOME TAX
Currently there are seven states who do not levy an income tax. Could North Carolina be No. 8?

State Sen. Bob Rucho, a Mecklenburg County Republican and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said Wednesday that he hoped to use the 2015 legislative session to eliminate the state income tax, replacing it with a consumption-based sales tax to make up for the lost revenue.

Even though North Carolina”s income tax accounts for 61 percent of the state”s revenue, why does Rucho want to end it and why does he favor a flat consumption-based tax? What is a consumption-based tax and how does it work? Go to this link from the Washington Post for the full story.

WHO IS THE “MOST QUOTED MAN IN NEWS”?
The answer is surprising. No it”s shocking, and what news agency now has actually banned his interviews? The New Yorker has details along with an up-close video at .

SAVE ON YOUR VET BILLS
With most American households having pets and in many cases, multiple-pets, vet bills can be steep.

Spending on vet bills for routine visits and medications is expected to hit $14.2 billion this year, up 4% from last year, according to the American Pet Products Association — and that’s not including surgical procedures. Total veterinary spending, including surgeries, for all households with pets was about $28 billion, the AVMA estimates. The average dog owner spends $227 per dog per year at the vet, while cat owners spend $90, according to the AVMA.

But did you know you could possibly negotiate for a lower bill?  Market Watch says “consumers usually aren’t stuck with the first number the vet throws out.”

Want to learn how to negotiate for a lower vet bill?  Go to this link to find out how.