Is there such a skills shortage in SA? The Employment Equity Chief Jimmy Many said last year that there is not. Local Government performance shows that affirmative action has resulted in a mess in terms of service delivery.

The Small Business Advisory Group (SBAG) has thrown in the towel on a key issue they reckon many small businesses want. They lobbied for a 12-month grievance-free period giving employers the right to hire and fire as they wish.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (ACCI) industry, policy and economics director, Greg Evans, says yesterday's bigger-than-expected rates cut provides business owners with some much-needed relief after an extremely difficult year so far.

For the first time in nearly three decades, inflation tops the list of worries for small-business owners, surpassing concerns about taxes, insurance and weak sales.

ERIE, Pa. -- General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt said the U.S. economy is the worst its been since the burst of the dot-com bubble and that housing hasn't been in such dire straits since the Great Depression.