The World Bank released its annual economic report this week, predicting that the global economy will grow by 2.7 percent in 2010. Yet, today the U.S. Dept. of Labor announced an increase in unemployment, and GM said that it will cut 8,300 more jobs in Europe. Also, economists are worried about asset bubbles in China and about stimulus packages wearing off.

In Japan, unemployment soars on the eve of national elections. A youth movement is sweeping the country, and the party that has ruled Japan for decades may be on the way out.

Unemployment rates in the U.S. and Canada are approaching double digits, but these figures pale to those in Liberia, where the official unemployment rate stands at 85 percent. A Worldfocus contributing blogger in Monrovia describes how Liberians get by, even if they are not formally employed.

Spain has an unemployment rate of 14.8 percent, the highest in Western Europe. In the town of Vila Real in eastern Spain, many people make their living making tiles. But suddenly, after the housing bubble burst, no one wants or needs what they make.

Rajeet Mohan is an Indian living in the U.S. on an H-1B visa. He shares his frustrating immigration experience and offers some solutions to retain and leverage highly-skilled immigrants in the U.S.