[ Thanks to kevin
Reichard for this link. ]
“When economists want an indicator of how an economy is
performing, they run through various statistical measures
(unemployment rates, consumer spending, tax payments, et al), and
then they add one not-so-scientific measure: how many wants ads are
appearing in the daily newspaper.“
“The reasoning is simple: if the economy is going well, then
companies will be looking to fill positions, and the best way to
reach a mass audience is via the classified advertising. If there’s
a collective bad feeling about the economy, then companies will be
more conservative in creating jobs.”