By TOM ABATE, San Francisco Chronicle

SAN FRANCISCO - The recession that began in 2007 accelerated changes that had already begun to reshape the labor landscape, helping women in their quest for earnings equality while making it tougher for men to remain the family's primary bread winners.

"This has been a male recession more than a female recession," said Wesleyan University economist Joyce Jacobsen.

Roughly 2.1 million Americans age 55 and older are unemployed. The average duration of unemployment for job seekers age 55 and older is about 35.6 weeks, substantially above the 28.3 weeks for the unemployed under age 55. Studies show it is more difficult for older job seekers to enter or re-enter the workforce.

With all signs pointing to a sluggish recovery, the challenge of the times is to spur job growth, with Democrats generally backing government spending to stimulate the economy and Republicans favoring tax cuts to spur investment.

What would companies be like if 20-year-olds ran the show?

A new survey of 800 young people in the United States and United Kingdom provides a glimpse of how the so-called millennial generation (a.k.a. Generation Y) works and thinks.

The survey, titled Millennial Inc., was conducted by the marketing firm Mr. Youth and the market research firm Intrepid. Among its findings:

Research from Stanford University suggests that workers who get paid by the hour are happier than salaried employees because they see a clear link between output and reward.

At Green Apple Books in San Francisco, co-owner Pete Mulvihill shared his expectations for the holiday shopping season.

"The joke among booksellers is that 'flat' is the new 'up,' " said Mulvihill, who expects to avoid a repeat of last year, when holiday sales uncharacteristically dipped.

Aaron Williams has already received his first gift for the holidays: a temporary job with United Parcel Service that will run at least through the end of December.

Bosses who feel incompetent are more likely to bully subordinates, according to a study being published in the journal Psychological Science.

Daniel Seddiqui is sorting grapes at a Napa, Calif., winery this week, his last odd job in a journey that has taken him through all 50 states over the past 12 months, working one week in each state in a different occupation chosen to reflect the local culture.

For decades, the credit card has symbolized the American way of life, but this recession may force both the symbol and the reality to change.
Spooked by plunging home prices and mounting job losses, consumers have cut back on credit-card use, pumping less cash into an economy that depends on their ability and willingness to spend.