News

After the U.S. and Central Massachusetts got through the initial phases of the COVID pandemic, the economy was largely strong by traditional standards, with low unemployment and GDP growth. Yet, due to rapid inflation and the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic, the economy just wasn’t working for everybody.

Despite slow and steady progress toward addressing gender disparities in the professional world, much work remains to be done toward equality in the workplace.

As a news organization, WBJ can’t dictate the gender of the people making news every day. However, a point of pride during my nine-year tenure as editor has been WBJ’s coverage of all aspects of the Central Massachusetts business community, particularly highlighting the underrepresented and undercovered ones.

The life sciences industry is in the middle of a rough patch. Following a frenzied expansion in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the industry centered around the Cambridge-Boston global hub is experiencing a right sizing, leading to layoffs and vacant lab spaces, particularly in Eastern Massachusetts.

Four years ago, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and the ensuing national reckoning on race, business and political leaders in Central Massachusetts and across the nation were falling over themselves to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in an attempt to mitigate the stain of America’s original sin.

It was shocking to see Worcester city and business leaders fire a double-barrell shotgun blast at Worcester Polytechnic Institute over the college’s plans to convert two hotels near its campus in the Gateway Park neighborhood into student housing.

People not reading anything more than just the headline has been a longstanding problem in journalism.

A Holyoke-based credit union is looking to expand into Worcester County.  Holyoke Credit Union has filed an application...

In Worcester, a city defined by the flow of immigrants over the centuries, and throughout Central Mass., immigrants start businesses at a higher rate than natural-born residents, according to a 2018 joint report by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau and Worcester Business Journal.

Even though very few companies are actually using AI now – a U.S. Census Bureau survey from November found only about 4% of businesses are using the technology – the anticipation is many, many more will use it in the future.