WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week for the first time in five weeks. But the drop suggests only modest job growth after three months of weak hiring. The Labor Department said Thursday ...

Tagged with: application Economy employees employers hiring jobs Labor Department Unemployment unemployment benefits wages

WASHINGTON — Employers posted slightly more job openings in February, suggesting that modest hiring gains will continue in coming months. The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers advertised 3.5 million job openings in February. That was a slight increase from ...

Tagged with: Ben Bernanke consumers data Economy employees employers federal reserve growth hiring job openings Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey Labor Department Unemployment wages

WASHINGTON — Workers were more efficient in the final three months of last year, although their gains in productivity slowed from the previous quarter. Slower productivity growth can be a good sign for hiring if economic growth picks up. The ...

Tagged with: Economy Labor Department productivity Recession wages workers

LOS ANGELES — A new economic forecast calls for the U.S. economy to make some modest growth strides this year, but not quite enough to significantly reduce the number of jobless Americans looking for work. About two-thirds of the economists ...

Tagged with: Congress economists Economy gross domestic product growth Retail Salaries Unemployment wages

WASHINGTON — More people applied for unemployment benefits last week, evidence that layoffs are rising and the job market is weak. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 418,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week ...

Tagged with: application Economy job market Labor Department layoffs Unemployment unemployment benefits wages

WASHINGTON — Americans spent in May at the weakest pace in 20 months, a sign that high gas prices and unemployment are holding back the economy. Consumer spending was unchanged, the Commerce Department said Monday. That was the worst result ...

Tagged with: commerce department consumer spending Economy gas prices income inflation jobs Unemployment wages

ANNAPOLIS — A legislative audit released last week uncovered about $71,000 of likely fraudulent purchase card charges by an unnamed Department of Natural Resources employee. The audit was released on April 1. The Department of Legislative Services started its audit ...

Tagged with: Annapolis Attorney General's Office department of natural resources employee General Assembly maryland theft wages

ANNAPOLIS — A proposal to increase Maryland’s minimum wage was both applauded and condemned in front of the Senate Finance Committee by economists, business owners, lobbyists and employees last week. The bill, proposed by Senate Majority Leader Robert Garagiola, gradually ...

Tagged with: Annapolis budget Economy General Assembly maryland minimum wage senate finance committee Taxes wages wealth

WASHINGTON — Nurses at Washington’s largest hospital have begun a one-day strike over wages and patient care. Nurses were protesting outside the Washington Hospital Center on Friday morning. They began the strike at 7 a.m., and it is supposed to ...

Tagged with: Columbia hospital maryland medstar health nurses strike wages washington

CUMBERLAND — The city of Cumberland is getting a federal grant to restore eight firefighter jobs it cut two years ago. Maryland’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, announced the grant of more than $806,000 on Tuesday. ...

Tagged with: benefits cumberland department of homeland security federal grant firefighters maryland sen. ben cardin senators U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski wages