Embrace Homes Loans has kicked off a partnership with Year Up Providence with a $2,500 donation. The partnership also includes training and mentoring by Embrace executives for interns. more

Although the Massachusetts unemployment rate remained at six percent in June, the state’s economy posted its first job losses since November, reported The Boston Globe. more

Changes in health care laws and labor relations will affect businesses dramatically next year, but many human resources managers at a Providence Business News-sponsored Employment Trends 2013 summit said they consider social media a contender for a top spot on the list of concerns. more

Compensation costs for civilian workers in New England rose 0.4 percent, seasonally adjusted for the 3 months ended June 30, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic reported Tuesday. more

CVS Caremark Corp. joined forces with the R.I. National Guard and Reserve to sponsor a “Hiring Our Heroes” job fair at the National Guard Armory in Warwick on Tuesday morning. more

In April, 2,081 Rhode Island workers were laid off, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. more

Rhode Island ranked 15th out of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia for supporting new fathers in the workplace, according to a report from the National Partnership for Women & Families. more

Don Saracen, president and founder of Saracen Sales & Communications, was recently named chapter member of the year by the New England chapter of the National Speakers Association. Saracen is president-elect of the association, and works as a sales and ctommunications expert, speaking, training and consulting with businesses and organizations looking to improve their sales, communication and business-development efforts. He is a Providence Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, and holds the Advanced Communicator Gold designation from Toastmasters International. Saracen majored in communication studies at Emerson College. more

Companies in the U.S. added more workers than forecast in June, which may ease concern the labor market is deteriorating, a private payrolls report showed. more

The productivity of U.S. workers fell more than initially estimated in the first quarter as labor costs climbed, indicating companies may pause before bringing on new employees. more