WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a scant 74,000 jobs in December, the fewest in three years. The disappointing figure ends 2013 on a weak note and raises questions about whether the job market can sustain its recent gains. Economists cautioned that cold weather likely played a role in the sharp slowdown in hiring. Job gains […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Bangor International Airport lays off 15 employees
BANGOR — Bangor International Airport laid off 15 employees Thursday and more layoffs are expected over the next two weeks, airport Director Tony Caruso said Thursday morning. Caruso said more layoffs will be announced through next week. At that point, the airport will re-evaluate and determine what other changes might be needed to solidify its […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine unemployment rate dips to lowest rate since 2008
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s unemployment rate for November was 6.4 percent, down nearly 1 percent since last year. The Maine Department of Labor said Friday that it’s the lowest figure the state has seen since November 2008. It said the unemployment rate for November dropped 0.3 percentage points from the prior month. That’s down from […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Economist says Maine needs more people to fuel a full recovery
BANGOR — If Maine’s going to continue to dig itself out of the recession and thrive in the future it needs more people, according to an economics and public policy professor with 12 years of experience in the State Planning Office under three governors. Charles Colgan, a public policy and management professor at the Muskie […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lincoln paper mill delays plans to rebuild boiler, rehire furloughed workers
The first of the layoffs began with a handful of workers sent home from the overnight shift Wednesday. Mill co-owner Keith Van Scotter reiterated that the layoff is indefinite and not permanent but he did not commit to restarting paper production or adding to the mill’s tissue-making capacity. “It is true that we are laying […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Lincoln paper mill says layoffs of 200 workers is not permanent
LINCOLN — About 200 workers will be furloughed from Lincoln Paper and Tissue LLC in response to a recovery boiler explosion last month that hampered the company’s ability to make pulp, company co-owner Keith Van Scotter said Wednesday. The layoffs affect about half the company’s workforce. The laid-off workers attend to the company’s two paper […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage praises Hermon manufacturer for expansion plans
AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage says a manufacturing company in the state is planning to expand its operations. The Republican governor said that the Ntension Corporation of Hermon, a wholesale tension-fabric structures manufacturer, will expand this spring into a new 40,000 square-foot facility. He says that growth will allow the company to create 21 […]
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In Maine, 4,000 face loss of extended unemployment benefits
AUGUSTA — Barring action from Congress, about 4,000 Mainers who receive extended unemployment benefits will lose those benefits after Dec. 28, 2013. The Maine Department of Labor, which administers the state’s unemployment benefits system, is urging those people to plan ahead. Maine’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in October was 6.7 percent, the lowest figure since November […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Smith and Wesson to lay off 37 workers in Houlton
HOULTON — One of the largest employers in Houlton is making a major cut in its workforce. Officials at Smith & Wesson have announced that they will phase out 37 jobs at the Houlton plant, where the company is shifting its focus from all-metal gun parts to polymer-frame handguns. Liz Sharp, spokeswoman for the company, […]
Posted inBusiness, River Valley, sj-web
NewPage to shut down No. 12 paper machine in Rumford
UPDATE: Union: 120 NewPage workers could lose job in Rumford RUMFORD — NewPage on Tuesday said it would “indefinitely” stop operation of one of the paper machines at its Rumford paper mill by mid-February because of tough economic conditions. The exact timing of the shutdown and the number of employees affected have not been determined, according […]