Jobless Rate Dips in Washington State, but it Inches Up in Seattle
Jan. 21--For some of the nearly 214,000 Washington residents who are out of work, the unemployment numbers must seem puzzling.

100 Best Places to Work
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 19, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) today announced that FORTUNE magazine has named the company as one of the "100 Best Companies To Work For." This marks the sixth time in the list's seven-year history that Medtronic...

Spear & Jackson Announces Stock Buyback of 500,000 Shares
BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan 16, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Spear & Jackson (OTCBB:SJCK), announced that it has received board approval to purchase up to 500,000 shares in the market or in private transaction in compliance with applicable rules at such times.

Signs Point to Continued Economic Recovery in 2004, San Antonio Experts Say
Jan. 10--This holiday season, more employers popped open bottles of bubbly with workers and celebrated what they hoped would be the end of a gloomy fog of economic uncertainty.

U.S. Economy Added Paltry 1,000 Jobs in December
Jan. 10--The government said yesterday that the U.S. economy added an anemic 1,000 jobs in December -- a tiny fraction of the 150,000 that Wall Street and economists had expected.

December Insurance Payrolls Tumble by 6,100
OLDWICK, N.J., Jan 12, 2004, (A. M. Best via COMTEX) -- Losing jobs for the third straight month, insurance industry employment in December fell by 6,100, to a level of 2.223 million. The seasonally adjusted data were released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics...

Despite Current Jobless Recovery, Some Economists Warn Labor Shortage Coming
Jan. 12--As the nation carries on with its jobless recovery, there's talk of an impending labor shortage. That may be difficult to imagine, especially for the millions of Americans still out of work, but some economists say it's a very likely scenari...

Small Business Administration Cuts Off Loan Guarantees
Jan. 13--Leawood consultant Larry Stocker was planning to use a loan backed by the Small Business Administration to expand his overseas export business.

U.S Stocks Close Lower On Disappointing Dec Job Data
NEW YORK (AFX) -- U.S. stocks closed lower Friday in a late-session pullback after a weaker-than-expected December employment report sparked concern about the ability of the U.S. economy to create new jobs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down...

Create Jobs; Youths Urged
Dec 30, 2003 (Daily Trust/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- An entrepreneur, Mr Cyneril Adaranijo has urged Nigerian youths to cultivate the idea of creating, rather than increasingly depending on the government.

Bush's Immigration Plan Reignites Debate
Jan. 8--WASHINGTON -- President Bush formally presented his plan to overhaul the nation's immigration laws Wednesday, but it drew a largely negative reaction that raised doubts about his ability to push it through Congress.

Employment Centre Provides Jobs For 671 Persons
Luanda, Jan 07, 2004 (Angola Press Agency/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- At least 671 unemployed persons were provided with jobs in 2003, through the Luanda Kilamba-Kiaxi district employment centre, said today the general director, Jose Franc...

Wachovia Moves Second Woman To Top Circle
Jan. 9--Shannon McFayden, who has led Wachovia Corp.'s community initiatives since 2001, will become the second woman on the Charlotte company's 13-member operating committee.

California Job Market
"We're just not seeing any strength in employment. California may actually lag the rest of the U.S. in job growth because it has a lot of structural problems that limit employers' aggressiveness in adding workers. Business costs in the state are limiting...