Russian Inflation Passes Double Digits

Russian inflation has climbed into double digits -- hitting 10.4 percent, data released Wednesday showed, indicating that prices could be growing faster than expected due to the depreciating ruble.

Consumer prices rose by 0.9 percent last week alone, the state statistics service said, with pronounced jumps in the cost of some types of produce and sugar, which rose by 7.5 percent.

Many consumer goods are imported into Russia, meaning the slide in the value of the ruble will eventually feed through onto price tags of products.

The central bank said earlier this month that it expects inflation to hit 10 percent before the end of the year and then peak at 11.5 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

Russia's economy ministry predicted inflation would remain in single digits.

US Jobless Claims Drop for Fifth Week in A Row

New claims for US unemployment insurance fell last week for the fifth week in a row, according to government figures published Wednesday.

Initial jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, totaled 280,000 in the week ending December 20, down 9,000 from the previous week, according to US Department of Labor data.

Analysts had projected 290,000 claims.

The result marked the 14th week in the last 15 in which weekly claims have stood below 300,000. The current count is also the lowest since the first week of November.

The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-over-week volatility, fell by 8,500 to 290,250.

Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare called the data "another encouraging glimpse of labor trends." He said the data likely portend another solid jobs report when the Department of Labor releases figures for December report in early January.

On Tuesday, the Commerce Department said that third-quarter US gross domestic product came in at a strong 5.0 percent, surpassing expectations.

Permintaan Tenaga Kerja di Sektor LNG Besar

Sejumlah negara mulai mengembangkan potensi sumber energi gas, menyusul ditemukannya sejumlah ladang, seperti Angola, Mozambik, Australia, dan Dominika. Gas dinilai menjadi energi masa depan karena relatif lebih murah serta minim polusi.

Rachmad Hardadi, President Director and CEO PT Badak LNG, mengatakan dunia saat ini sedang booming gas, dan banyak negara membutuhkan tenaga kerja yang menguasai berbagai kompetensi di bidang gas.

"Permintaan terhadap tenaga yang berkompetensi di bidang gas besar sekali. Ini adalah peluang. Sekarang kenapa kita tidak berpikir TKI itu adalah expert di dunia migas, di mana revenue-nya bisa berpuluh kali lipat," katanya kepada Bisnis.com, Selasa (22/12/2014).

Hardadi mengaku mendapatkan permintaan pasokan tenaga kerja Indonesia yang berkopentensi di bidang gas dari Angola, Mozambik, dan terakhir dari Australia.

Mereka belum mempunyai orang-orang professional yang menangani di situ, dan bilang, "Pak Hardadi, I need your manager level, section head, level, operator level.  Berapa pun yang bisa Anda kirim dari PT Badak, akan kami terima, dengan gaji 2-3 kali lipat yang diberikan oleh PT Badak."

Saat ini, katanya, gas di dunia sedang booming. Tak usah jauh-jauh ke Amerika, Afrika, Australia, yang namanya Brunei, Malaysia, itu CEO-nya sudah kontrak sama PT Badak, siapa pun yang pensiun di PT Badak silakan dikirim. Bayaran 3 kali lipat. Kata mereka, pensiun di PT Badak 55 tahun itu too early.