With the release of the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) numbers this morning and the BLS jobs report due out on Friday (and initial claims tomorrow), jobs -- or the lack of them -- is clearly front and center. Normally when people talk about job losses or gains, they are talking about net job creation. After all, even in the biggest booms, there are still some people who are losing their jobs, and even in the deepest darkest recessions, there are some folks who find new jobs. There is an interesting article today by Andy Harless of Atlantic Asset Management posted on Economist View that disaggregates it into the rate of job destruction and the rate of job creation. It is a long and interesting article and is worth reading. The key trends are shown in the graph below. If the blue line is above ...

This post provides links to a number of interesting articles I have read over the past few days that you may also enjoy.

• Conor Clarke (The Atlantic): An interview with Paul Samuelson, part one, June 17, 2009.

• Mohamed El-Erian (PIMCO): Beware of the “business as usual” mindset, June 2009. We are facing a world of lower growth and accelerated country realignments. Policy experimentation will remain the norm for much longer than most expect. All of this constitutes an inherent part of the world’s bumpy journey to a new normal. It is a reality that also impacts key elements of successful investment management - in particular, asset allocation, manager selection and risk management. It calls for some critical re-tooling of mindsets, institutions and approaches.

• George Soros (Financial Times): The three steps to financial reform, June 16, 2009. While markets are imperfect,

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