Economy

Tourism in Worcester County accounted for some of the highest economic impact among Massachusetts' 14 counties in 2023, which combined accumulated $23.6 billion in spending statewide.

More than a year after it originally launched, the state’s online job platform MassTalent has officially gone live with enhanced search options and resources.

State agencies will no longer need to solicit waivers to bring on new employees starting Friday, but they will still need to have wiggle room in their spending plans under revised hiring controls from the Healey administration.

Justin Precourt, interim president of Worcester’s UMass Memorial Medical Center, has officially shed his provisional title, assuming his role as president of the largest hospital in Central Massachusetts. 

A months-long WBJ investigation shows how a dysfunctional agency hollowed out by turnover, bogged down by infighting, and plagued by a fuzzy leadership structure is impeding businesses in a struggling industry.

The coming years aren’t just about attracting laboratory and white-collar workers. More opportunities and training options will be needed for the region’s immigrant and lower-income populations to thrive.

The U.S. military base known as Fort Devens closed in 1996, jettisoning more than 7,000 local military and civilian jobs.

As leaders, they ably represented two of Central Massachusetts’ longest-running institutions: each intricately tied to Isaiah Thomas. One turned his bequeathed library into the world’s preeminent repository of pre-20th-century print materials in what is now the United States. The other invoked the patriot printer’s name for its annual award to citizens who serve Worcester with distinction.

"I’ll admit that writing about the Worcester County restaurant scene spanning 35 years has made my head spin," writes Barbara Houle.

While Central Massachusetts business leaders have seen substantial diversification among small business owners in the past three decades, the same cannot be said for those among the area’s highest-paid.