Articles about Economy – Page 2 of 8

Seattle City Council unveils new payroll tax targeting Amazon and other large companies

The Seattle City Council introduced a new proposal Tuesday to tax the largest companies in the city, the latest in… Read More

Washington state loosens restrictions for phased opening as shutdown order approaches expiration

Counties across Washington state will enter a phased re-opening program Monday as Gov. Jay Inslee’s “stay-home” order expires. Inslee announced… Read More

Tech avoids steepest job losses as US unemployment reaches historic peak of 14.7%

The U.S. unemployment rate soared to a record 14.7% in April according to the Department of Labor. It’s the highest… Read More

New data reveals how consumer spending habits have changed since the coronavirus crisis began

Companies that offer digital services or sell goods online are seeing a huge surge in demand from customers under widespread… Read More

Washington state unemployment claims jump 75% as startups brace for slowdown

Washington state jobless claims surged last week as federally backed, expanded unemployment benefits became available for the first time. Some… Read More

Washington’s new jobless claims dip but state officials warn it’s ‘the calm before the storm’

There were 82,435 new claims for unemployment benefits in Washington state last week, a 42% decline from the week prior.… Read More

Seattle tech industry fights proposed ‘Amazon Tax,’ claiming it will delay recovery and cost jobs

Hundreds of business and community leaders are asking Seattle officials to reject a new payroll tax on the city’s highest-paying… Read More

Good news for startups? Congress strikes deal to replenish small business relief fund with $310B

Congressional lawmakers agreed Tuesday to provide $484 billion to refill the coffers of a small business relief fund, expand testing… Read More

Federal government’s $350B small business relief fund runs out of money in less than 2 weeks

The $349 billion earmarked to help small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis ran out of money Thursday, less… Read More

Wash. state gets 150k new unemployment claims; 76% of businesses warn layoffs could be imminent

More than 150,000 people in Washington state filed jobless claims for the first time last week as many businesses buckle… Read More

Startup stimulus? How logjams and ethics are impacting federal loans for tech companies

A small business owner in Seattle waited nearly 12 hours to speak with a representative at her credit union, seeking… Read More

How the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package impacts startups

The U.S. Senate passed the largest stimulus package in American history on Wednesday to cushion the economy from impacts of… Read More

Amazon will hire 100k warehouse workers amid pandemic-driven surge in online shopping

Amazon is planning to hire an additional 100,000 warehouse workers to keep up with the volume of orders placed by… Read More

Amazon launches $25M relief fund to help delivery drivers, seasonal workers cope with COVID-19

Amazon on Wednesday announced it will donate $25 million to help its network of independent delivery drivers, Amazon Flex workers,… Read More

Amazon will donate $5M to help small businesses near its headquarters mitigate coronavirus losses

Amazon pledged Tuesday to donate $5 million to small businesses around its Seattle headquarters that will be impacted by thousands… Read More

Seattle added 50,000 tech jobs during decade of concentration in ‘superstar cities’

Tech jobs are concentrating in a handful of “superstar cities” including Seattle and San Francisco, dispelling predictions that the opportunity… Read More

Podcast

How tech hubs contributed to America’s housing crisis — and what they can do about it

America’s housing crisis is a nationwide problem, but it’s especially acute in San Francisco and Seattle, home to the country’s… Read More

Trump’s new executive order targets counterfeits on Amazon and other e-commerce sites

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday seeking to crack down on the import of counterfeit goods and contraband… Read More

Amazon reveals new details about its federal tax bill in shot across the bow at critics

Amazon disclosed new details about its U.S. taxes for 2019 in public financial documents and a blog post Friday morning,… Read More

Does Amazon pay enough in taxes? Source says local tax bill was $297M last year

Amazon paid nearly $300 million in state and local taxes in 2018, according to a source inside the company with… Read More

Bernie Sanders calls out Amazon’s hometown tax battle in plan to overhaul corporate America

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign unveiled an ambitious plan to reform corporate America on Monday. The proposal holds one company… Read More

Amazon surpasses Microsoft in number of Seattle region employees amid big growth plans across US

Amazon is now the biggest Big Tech employer in the Seattle region, surpassing Microsoft, according to new data released Monday.… Read More

Bill Gates on the rise of socialism in America: ‘Most people really aren’t arguing against capitalism’

Three of the business leaders who have benefited most from the current economic system sat down Monday morning to discuss… Read More

Podcast

Diagnosing U.S. healthcare: Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer explains the key numbers to track

Special counsel Robert Mueller has finished his investigation, and the 2020 presidential campaign is already heating up. So what’s next… Read More

Podcast

Numbers Geek: Steve Ballmer on the U.S. trade deficit, China’s role, and the impact on the economy

How big is the U.S. trade deficit, in reality, and what are the implications of U.S. trade negotiations with China… Read More

Amazon’s HQ2 picks are conspicuously absent from America’s 10 best-performing cities list

When Amazon announced it would split its second headquarters between New York City and the Washington, D.C., area, it seemed… Read More

Ex-Microsoft managers launch Opportunity Zone fund, courting tech investors for real estate projects in low-income neighborhoods

Many Seattle tech workers are suddenly considering real estate investments, thanks to a new federal tax incentive. SmartCap Group says it’s… Read More

Apple lowers Q1 revenue guidance, blaming shortfall on weak Chinese economy and trade war

Apple CEO Tim Cook lowered guidance for his company’s first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, writing a letter to investors that cited… Read More

Tech concentration in big cities is growing, leaving rural America behind, study finds

The Amazon HQ2 hullaballoo threw two important economic trends into sharp relief over the past year. The first is communities… Read More

Amazon investor and activist Nick Hanauer: ‘PR stunts are easy and cheap. Significantly raising wages for workers is not’

Just before Amazon announced it will raise employees’ minimum wage to $15 an hour, one of the company’s first investors… Read More