Microsoft wants to create more homegrown engineers using higher H-1B fees

Brad Smith, Microsoft general counsel

How’s this for a creative twist? Microsoft today suggested that the federal government let employers, including itself, pay higher fees to bring more foreign workers to the U.S. — using the proceeds to educate more homegrown engineers, with the ultimate goal of solving the country’s tech talent crunch in the long run. The company says… Read More…

Mixed state jobless numbers ‘confound’ economists, but signs point to better times

unemploy-april3

Numbers sometimes tell strange stories, and that appears to be the case in the latest unemployment report from the Washington State Employment Securities Department. The analysis found that the unemployment rate actually dropped to 8.1 percent in Washington state during April, down from 8.3 percent in March. However, the good news came with a dose… Read More…

Unemployment rate drops slightly to 8.5% in Washington

washington-jobrate2

There’s more good news on the job front in Washington state, as the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent during December, according to a new report released today by the state Employment Security Department. That’s right on par with the national unemployment rate. In Seattle, the unemployment rate stood at 7.9 percent in December. That was… Read More…