AUGUSTA — Maine business leaders and legislative leaders have formally launched a special, bipartisan committee that will look for ways to fill a “skills gap” and improve the state’s economy. Maine State Chamber of Commerce President Dana Connors joined Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland and House Speaker Mark Eves of North Berwick for Wednesday’s […]
jobs
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine’s unemployment rate inches up
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette says December’s unemployment rate in the state was 7.3 percent, up slightly from November’s 7.2 percent. Using figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Paquette says 51,400 Mainers were unemployed in December, up 1,600 over the year. By comparison, the U.S. unemployment rate was estimated at […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Economist: Maine job growth to be meager in 2013
PORTLAND (AP) — Wage and salary jobs in Maine are expected to grow by only 0.5 percent in 2013, but the state could actually lose jobs if Congress can’t come to terms on federal financial matters, a leading Maine economist said Tuesday. Maine should add only 3,100 jobs during the year, and the unemployment rate […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine seeks to boost number of IT graduates
AUGUSTA (AP) — The state is taking aim at a projected gap between the number of high-tech jobs coming to Maine and the lack of qualified people to fill them. Project Login, spearheaded by the University of Maine System and Educate Maine, aims to double the number of computer science and information technology graduates from […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston CareerCenter sees jump in jobs
LEWISTON — For the first time in four years, the Lewiston CareerCenter is seeing a big jump in job openings. In the past seven months, the number of positions posted with the center has more than doubled, from 227 in March to 519 in October. That October number is also up over October 2011 (170) […]
Posted inBusiness, Oxford Hills, sj-web
Grover Gundrilling expands, 35 new jobs
OXFORD — Chris Hester’s office, at Grover Gundrilling’s new Oxford facility, still has that ‘new building’ smell. Workers are putting the finishing touches on several other offices in the 50,000-square-foot former warehouse at 59 Industrial Way in Oxford. Hester, Grover Gundrilling’s president, says the company has been shifting equipment and staff to the new facility […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine unemployment rate drops in October
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette says Maine’s unemployment rate dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 7.4 percent in October. October’s preliminary rate, down slightly from 7.6 percent in September, compares to New England’s overall jobless rate for the month, 7.4 percent. The share of Maine’s population that’s employed remained well above the […]
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
U.S. jobless rate dips below 8 percent
The rate declined from 8.1 percent because the number of people who said they were employed soared by 873,000 — an encouraging sign for an economy that’s been struggling to create enough jobs. The number of unemployed Americans is now 12.1 million, the fewest since January 2009. The Labor Department said employers added 114,000 jobs […]
Posted inLetters
K. Bilodeau: Protect workers’ rights
Fall has arrived and we are in the throes of election season. While the newspapers and TV ads focus on the campaigns for president and Sen. Olympia Snowe’s vacant seat, people should not overlook the importance of local and state elections. In the past, some people may have overlooked the importance of local elections. That […]
Posted inBusiness
CareerCenter lists October workshops
LEWISTON — The Lewiston CareerCenter announces October programming for job seekers and those who are considering training to upgrade their skills to increase their employability. Workshops of note, in addition to the regular programming: Five Real World Strategies to Find a Meaningful Job, held 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 4 with Melissa Suey. Learn job […]