Wall Street Journal (09/07/15) Colleen McCain Nelson

President Obama signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to offer paid sick days to their employees and pressed Congress to pass legislation that would provide family and medical leave to private-sector workers. The order will give about 300,000 employees of federal contractors the opportunity to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave each year. Workers who already have sick-leave benefits may have access to additional sick days.

Conference Board News Release (09/08/15)

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index increased in August for a second consecutive month. The index now stands at 128.82, up from a downwardly revised 127.64 in June. The change represents a 4.5% gain in the ETI compared to a year ago.

“The large increase in the [ETI] in August suggests that a significant moderation in employment growth is unlikely to occur in the coming months,” says Gad Levanon, managing director of macroeconomic and labor market research at the Conference Board. “With solid job growth expected to continue, the unemployment rate is likely to go below 5% by year’s end.”

Reuters (09/08/15) Lucia Mutikani

U.S. small-business confidence rose modestly in August, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index. The index gained half a point to reach 95.9 last month, suggesting the economy continued to grow at a steady pace halfway through the third quarter. Five of the index’s 10 components increased last month, while three declined and two were unchanged. The survey’s labor market gauges improved further last month, and small-business owners were slightly optimistic about sales.

NFIB said the survey of 656 businesses was not significantly affected by the recent turmoil in global financial markets, because most of the interviews were completed before “the big slide.”