We live in a world where Barbie’s outfit, makeup and marketing has come to symbolize the internationalization of the labour market. But can a doll symbolize how offshoring is affecting job markets? Indeed, job losses and the degradation of working conditions in the industrialized world have been blamed on globalization, internationalization and offshoring of work, but is this true? A new ILO publication* analyzes trends and patterns in the internationalization of employment, and identifies winners and losers. ILO Online spoke with ILO employment analyst Peter Auer.

Reuters correspondent Emily Kaiser is in Asia, reporting on U.S. retailers operating in the region. Here are her impressions on the prospects for big retailers in India:

Sitting in a Mumbai taxi as the driver angrily honks at an endless stream of trucks, buses, cars, pushcarts, pedestrians and cows, it's hard to imagine how foreign retailers could operate here. Then you hear about customers causing traffic jams as they flock to clearance sales and it becomes obvious why Wal-Mart and others are fighting so hard to open stores in India.

By Larry Copeland

ATLANTA — Andrew Young, who's never been shy about staking out controversial positions, is at it again.

Young, one of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s top aides, a former United Nations ambassador and former mayor of Atlanta, announced last month that he would head a group formed to spread the word about the positive contributions of Wal-Mart Stores (WMT).

Young says he was drawn to the Wal-Mart venture because the company is creating wealth, especially in rural and inner-city communities shunned by other retailers.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Tuesday it boosted its stake in Central American Retail Holding Co., or CARHCO, lifting its ownership of Central America's biggest supermarket retailer to 51 percent from a previous 33.3 percent.

Financial terms of the latest agreement as well as the original investment were not disclosed.

Wal-Mart also said it would replace the name CARHCO with Wal-Mart Central America. No immediate changes were planned in names of any of the store formats operating in the region, it added.