Page 5 - HOH

BUSINESS Saturday 16 March 2019
A25

US health officials move to tighten sales of e-cigarettes

By MATTHEW PERRONE risk having their products
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. pulled from the market, the
health regulators are mov- FDA said.
ing ahead with a plan de- "The onus is now on the
signed to keep e-cigarettes companies and the vap-
out of the hands of teen- ing industry to work with us
agers by restricting sales to try and bring down these
of most flavored products levels of youth use, which
in convenience stores and are simply intolerable," FDA
online. Commissioner Scott Gottli-
The new guidelines, first eb said in an interview. The
proposed in November, are restrictions won't apply to
the latest government ef- three flavors that the FDA
fort to reverse what health says appeal more to adults
officials call an epidemic of than teenagers: tobacco,
underage vaping. menthol and mint.
E-cigarettes typically heat The rise in teen vaping has
a flavored nicotine solution been driven mainly by new
into an inhalable vapor. cartridge-based prod-
Federal law bans their sale ucts like Juul, a heavily-
to those under 18, but 1 in 5 marketed brand that has
high school students report become a scourge in U.S.
using e-cigarettes, accord- high schools. The recharge-
ing to the latest survey pub- able, odorless device can
lished last year . be used discreetly in bath-
Under proposed guidelines rooms, hallways and even
released Wednesday by In this April 11, 2018, file photo, a high school student uses a vaping device near a school campus classrooms.
the Food and Drug Admin- in Cambridge, Mass. The Silicon Valley-based
istration, e-cigarette mak- Associated Press company voluntarily tight-
ers would restrict sales of ened retail sales of its fruit
most flavored products to store or include a separate, nies would also be expect- for online sales. and candy-flavored pods
stores that verify the age age-restricted area for ed to use third-party, iden- Companies that don't last year, ahead of the FDA
of customers entering the vaping products. Compa- tity-verification technology follow the requirements announcement.q
US job openings rise, outnumber the unemployed by 1 million

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER major source of upward
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wage pressure, because
employers posted nearly high turnover costs are a
7.6 million open jobs in Jan- strong motivator for em-
uary, near a record high ployers to raise wages to
set in November, evidence retain their top talent," said
that businesses are still hun- Julia Pollak, labor econo-
gry for workers despite signs mist at ZipRecruiter.
the economy has slowed. The economy grew at a
The Labor Department healthy clip last year of 2.9
said Friday that hiring also percent, the fastest pace
rose and the number of in four years. But trade ten-
people quitting their jobs sions with China, slowing
picked up. Quits are a sign global growth and signs of
of a healthy economy, caution among consum-
because people typically ers have weighed on the
leave a job for another, economy early this year.
usually higher-paying, one. Many economists forecast
The tally of available jobs growth could fall below 1
now outnumbers the un- percent in the first quarter.
employed by roughly 1 mil- The JOLTS report suggests
lion. Openings began to the job market remains
outpace the unemployed strong and bolsters most
last spring, for the first time In this March 7, 2019, photo visitors to the Pittsburgh veterans job fair meet with recruiters at Heinz analysts' expectations that
in the 18 years the data has Field in Pittsburgh. steady hiring and rising
been tracked. Assocaited Press wages will support faster
"The question now is, will growth later this year.
workers be increasingly ready pushing up wages also showed that layoffs Nearly 3.5 million people Openings have fallen
tempted to switch to new more quickly, with hourly declined, a reassuring sign quit their jobs in January, slightly to 7.58 million since
jobs or will their current em- wages rising in February that employers weren't up 2.9 percent from the the record high of 7.63 mil-
ployers raise wages to keep at the fastest pace in nine spooked by the govern- previous month. That could lion in November. The data
them?" said Nick Bunker, years. ment shutdown, which force employers to pay was sharply revised this
an economist at job listings The report, known as the ended Jan. 25, or the sharp more to prevent their work- month to show that there
website Indeed. Job Openings and Labor drop in the stock market in ers from quitting. were more open jobs late
The strong job market is al- Turnover survey, or JOLTS, December. "The high quit rate is the last year.q