Economy

The unemployment rate in Massachusetts dropped by two -tenths of a percentage point for the second month in a row in July, hitting 3.5%, matching the national rate.

A one-bedroom apartment at fair market rate is unaffordable for the median renter in Greater Worcester, according to annual report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a Washington D.C. nonprofit.

Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain and owner of Worcester’s Telegram & Gazette, Framingham’s MetroWest Daily News as well as several other local papers, has laid off personnel across its publishing empire.

Worcester-based staffing firm Masis Staffing Solutions laid off 106 workers related to a large client on Aug. 5.

Marlborough medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific Corp. has received a whistleblower letter saying the company violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in its dealings in Vietnam.

The Worcester Metropolitan Statistical Area unemployment rate rose to 3.7% in June, up from 3.5% in May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development on July 26.

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Massachusetts fell to $4.47 a gallon on Monday, down 5 cents from the previous week.

Workers at the unionized Starbucks location in Worcester went on strike Monday, in protest over a suite of benefits the corporation is rolling out to non-unionized workers.

Shrewsbury-based Central One Federal Credit Union has selected Devon Lyon, COO of Direct Federal Credit Union of Needham, to succeed long-time president and CEO David L’Ecuyer on Aug. 22.

Massachusetts unemployment rate dropped by two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.7% in June