Posted inBusiness

Steep drop in unemployment presents Maine ski industry with staffing challenges as season opens

Sunday River ski resort is ready for the season – it has eight trails open and nights that are cold enough to make snow in time for the busy December holidays. The only thing it doesn’t have is a full complement of seasonal employees. It is advertising for more than 160 positions. “We definitely have […]

Posted inBusiness, sj-web

Hurricanes also slammed U.S. economy; 33,000 jobs lost in September

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 […]

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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 […]

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 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 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 […]