In this Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, photo, Phil Wiggett, right, a recruiter with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, looks at a resume during a job fair in San Jose, California. On Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, the U.S. government issues the September jobs report. WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. shed 33,000 jobs in September because of […]
jobs
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage says Donald Trump lumber tariffs threatening jobs
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Republican governor is asking President Donald Trump’s administration to ease up stiff softwood lumber tariffs he says are leading to “devastating” job losses. Gov. Paul LePage this month asked U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to exempt Canadian provinces such as New Brunswick and Quebec from the tariffs. Softwood lumber like […]
advertisement
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
U.S. gains 209,000 jobs; unemployment rate falls to 4.3 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs in July, a second straight month of robust gains that underscore the economy’s vitality as it enters a ninth year of expansion. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate slipped to 4.3 percent, matching a 16-year low first reached in May. Growth in Americans’ paychecks, however, remains […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
New law expands job possibilities for 14- and 15-year-olds
A new Maine law aiming to get 14- and 15-year-olds to fill hospitality jobs in a tight market went into effect on Sunday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Brian Langley, R-Ellsworth, was partially aimed at loosening Maine’s tight hospitality job market in a tourist season where the state is seeing record low unemployment levels. It […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
U.S. employers add 222,000 jobs; jobless rate rises to 4.4 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a robust 222,000 jobs in June, the most in four months, a reassuring sign that businesses may be confident enough to keep hiring despite a slow-growing economy. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent in May, which was a 16-year low. […]
Posted inMaine
Trump touts apprenticeships as way to fill jobs gap
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says apprenticeships could match workers with millions of open jobs, but he’s reluctant to devote more taxpayer money to the effort. Instead, Trump and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta say the administration is focused on getting universities and private companies to pair up and pay the cost of such learn-to-earn […]
Posted inBusiness
US employers add modest 138K jobs; rate dips to 4.3 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers pulled back on hiring in May by adding only 138,000 jobs. Hiring was still enough to help keep pushing unemployment lower. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent from 4.4 percent. Hiring in the months of April and March were revised downward by a […]
Posted inMaine
Maine recovers jobs after recession; aging workers a concern
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The state’s economy is back to where it was before the recession when it comes to jobs, a feat some economists thought might be impossible because of its shrinking workforce. The state has returned to the pre-recession peak of about 620,800 jobs, meaning it has made up the 25,000 or so […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump administration circulates more draft immigration restrictions, focusing on protecting U.S. jobs
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering a plan to weed out would-be immigrants who are likely to require public assistance, as well as to deport – when possible – immigrants already living in the United States who depend on taxpayer help, according to a draft executive order obtained by The Washington Post. A second […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Municipalities, health care facilities brace for wage hike
AUGUSTA — Municipalities and advocacy groups for home health care and long-term care workers say they’re bracing for the impact of a minimum wage hike approved by Maine voters last fall. Leaders of the health care groups say they will continue to ask the state for increased MaineCare reimbursement rates as the minimum wage inches […]