By Jerry GoodsteinWashington became the 11th state to adopt the Fair Chance Act on June 2, extending “ban the box” job seeker protections to cover the state’s public and private employers. The bill delays criminal background checks until an applicant meets the basic criteria for the job and prohibits employers...
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries could soon be proposing new wage requirements for salaried executive, administrative and professional employees.The wage requirements would be tied to the state’s minimum wage, which is set to go up $1.50 every year through 2020 with the passage of Initiative 1433. The...
By Danielle KaneCongratulations, business owner. You have successfully found and hired a team of smart and capable employees to help accomplish the organization’s goals. The team is working well – until one day, your top manager needs an unexpected couple of days off during a busy time when you and...
A new trade school in west Pasco will provide classroom and laboratory space for apprentices pursuing careers in skilled trades, including future electricians, plumbers and sheet metal workers, all jobs in demand across the state.The Construction Industry Training Council of Washington, or CITC, is opening its first dedicated schooling site...
State’s rural jobless rates historically lag behind urban countiesWashington’s unemployment is hitting a major low, but the state’s rural counties — including Benton and Franklin — are not doing as well as their urban counterparts.That’s because rural counties, which have huge agricultural presences, have less diversified industrial economies than cities, said...
Mid-Columbians in lower-paying jobs tend to earn less than their counterparts across Washington.That’s what a breakdown of figures show in a state Employment Security Department report on employment and wages released in September.The report’s statistics came from statewide surveys with a 66 percent return rate, said Asja Suljic, a Kennewick-based regional...
Experts say maintaining professional online presence is important for job seekersSeventy percent. That’s the percentage of employment recruiters using social media to screen candidates, according to a recent CareerBuilder study.The online employment company’s study surveyed 2,380 private sector hiring and human resource professionals selected from a variety of industries and...
New program receives financial support from OSPI, PNNLWashington State University Tri-Cities plans to develop a program to train teachers in computer science.The program received a $49,000 grant from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and a matching contribution from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. Jonah FirestoneCurrently,...
By Michelle DuplerPreliminary election results from the November general election could quash one group’s hopes to rewrite Washington law to join the ranks of right-to-work states.Right-to-work policies aim to prohibit the practice of requiring all employees in a union workplace to pay union dues, regardless of whether they want to...
By Michelle DuplerIt’s been legal to toke up in Washington for a couple of years now, but experts say it may not be the best idea when looking for a job.Employers can decline to hire people based on a pre-employment drug test — or fire them based on random drug screenings...
