April 30, 2007

Wow and double wow
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 12:04 PM

It's been awhile since Massachusetts has received two pieces of stunningly good economic news like this, especially back to back.

First, a report came out from UMass saying that the state's economy grew at a rate quadruple that of the nation as a whole during the first quarter of the year:

The Massachusetts economy surged in the first quarter, nearly quadrupling the national growth rate and recalling the technology-driven expansion of the 1990s.

The state's economy grew at a 4.7 percent annual rate in the first quarter, the fastest pace in nearly 7 years, according to a report yesterday from the University of Massachusetts. The US economy grew at a 1.3 percent rate, its worst performance since early 2003, the Commerce Department said.

Wow.

Then, today the news came out from the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics that Massachusetts' unemployment rate dropped the most of any state in the country in March:

Massachusetts had an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent, down 0.9 percent from February, said the bureau. . . The jobless rate in Massachusetts had been in the 4.8- to 5.3-percent range since April 2004, the bureau said.

Double wow.

Job seekers, get out there and take advantage of this surging regional economy. As it heats up, so do the job opportunities. And good timing to you, graduating seniors!

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April 27, 2007

The changing face of Boston and the Commonwealth
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:20 PM

With an African-American governor in the State House on Beacon Hill, diversity has a new look - both in Boston and throughout the state:

Nothing is more emblematic of the change in attitude toward and among black professionals than the election last fall of Deval Patrick, the first African-American governor of the Commonwealth.

"How bad can it be here," asks [African-American Brigham and Women's internist Dr. Lisa] Owens, "when we have the second black governor in the country?" In fact, she knows black professionals who have moved to less expensive, and supposedly more welcoming, cities who regret leaving the dynamism of Boston behind.

"There's a buzz, an energy in Boston," says Dr. Owens, who grew up in Washington, D.C. "It's an intangible that people have not found, that they realize retrospectively when they leave."

Another such face is that of famed new Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matzusaka from Japan.

Dice-K and Deval are among the most visible representatives of the growing diversity in the Hub, where minorites, in aggregate, have outnumbered whites for several years.

Read about both of these phenomena in the Spring, 2007 DiversityBoston magazine, found exclusively online here on BostonWorks.

In addition to the above stories, you will find profiles of three second generation immigrant families carrying on the American Dream, as well as pieces on jobs for the disabled, the experience of Asian Indians in the region, and more.

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On Call now online
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:20 AM

Many of you in the Greater Boston healthcare community are familiar with BostonWorks' On Call magazine, which we published bi-monthly for healthcare professionals in the region.

Well, as of this week, On Call has moved to a new home - online. The magazine, still edited by the renowned Joe Saling, will continue to provide all the same great stories, columns (In Other Words, Perspective), interviews, event listings, and other features known to regular readers.

The inaugural edition, for instance, launches with a feature on "Art and the art of healing":

. . .[senior social-work supervisor Lissa Robbins] Kapust's use of poetry in a clinical setting is part of the burgeoning field of the medical humanities, a varied discipline that has emerged from the blending of humanities, social sciences, and the arts as they apply to professional medical education and clinical practice. Medical students discuss literature and philosophy as part of their process for understanding the illness experience. Patients are invited to give readings of their poetry and personal essays about living with serious disease at medical grand rounds. Nursing and social-work students keep journals of their responses to the clients they care for, seeking to understand the universal issues behind individual experience. Paintings and photographs by staff members are exhibited prominently in the entrance lobbies of hospitals. And on inpatient units, musicians perform, offering vitality and peace in a setting that is often overwhelming.

All the stories are available online, accessible from anywhere 24/7, with links to more info. And instead of six times a year, On Call will now be updated weekly.

So check it out and let us know what you think. For feedback, Joe's e-mail is provided on the site.

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April 25, 2007

Mommy Book Wars
Posted by Diane Danielson at 9:11 PM

Perhaps we should just forget about the "Mommy Wars" as it's now become the "Mommy Book Wars."  This morning Motoko Rich of the New York Times fired the first salvo with her article about Mommy Books creating controversy but not book sales.  Then, Leslie Bennetts, author of the "Feminine Mistake," responds on the Huffington Post, claiming that Rich left out some pertinent sales figures, and brings to light the New York Times' often controversial stance on working women's issues.

And to add to the fun, Linda Hirshman, the author of “Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World," also had an op-ed piece in the New York Times this morning.

Should we care if women leave the work force? Yes, because participation in public life allows women to use their talents and to powerfully affect society. And once they leave, they usually cannot regain the income or status they had. The Center for Work-Life Policy, a research organization founded by Sylvia Ann Hewlett of Columbia, found that women lose an average of 18 percent of their earning power when they temporarily leave the work force. Women in business sectors lose 28 percent.

And despite the happy talk of “on ramps” back in, only 40 percent of even high-powered professionals get back to full-time work at all.

That the most educated have opted out the most should raise questions about how our society allocates scarce educational resources. The next generation of girls will have a greatly reduced pool of role models.

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Survey: Tank top #1 work wear mishap
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 3:02 PM

Flip-flops? Maybe. Tank-tops? No way.

Unless you're a pro basketball player or a motorcycle mechanic, wearing a tank-top on the job ranks as the most flagrant fashion faux pas in the workplace, according to Monster, an online job site with offices in Maynard.

Check out the full story from the Globe and Boston.com's Daily Business Update.

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Turning point ages
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:48 PM

Like to reminisce about the good old days? Do you look back fondly on your idle days of carefree youth?

Well, a Cambridge, MA-based research group has just published a new study that presents some findings on when we are happiest in life. Perhaps surprisingly, it's not just when we are younger. It's when we age, too:

Hey, guys, what about 49? Gals, what about 45?

These are the turning-point ages, according to a new study published by the Cambridge-based National Bureau of Economic Research, when American men and women, respectively, are least happy. Not necessarily sad, but least happy. After that come some 15 years of increasing happiness. Authors David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald call it the U-shaped curve of well-being. Discovering the whys behind the pattern, they write, "seems an important task for future research."

Read the piece profiling six local individuals who have reached turning point age. Check out the companion photo gallery, too.

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April 23, 2007

Ladies, it's time to wake up and smell the pay gap
Posted by Diane Danielson at 9:38 PM

Do you think the gender wage gap doesn't affect you?  Think again.  According to the newly released report by the American Association of University Women, the pay gap affects women the day they start their first job (despite having better grades in college!)  And, the news gets even worse after that.

In the report, Behind the Pay Gap, the AAUW Educational Foundation found that just one year after college graduation, women earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall further behind, earning only 69 percent of what men earn. Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings, the research indicates that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained and is likely due to sex discrimination. Over time, the unexplained portion of the pay gap grows.

The research also shows that ten years after graduation, college-educated men working full time have more authority in the workplace than do their female counterparts. Men are more likely to be involved in hiring and firing, supervising others, and setting pay.

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April 18, 2007

A healthy contract for local nurses
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:57 PM

Good news for Dana-Farber nurses. The newly negotiated three-year contract provides the famous cancer center's 225 nurses pay increases from 9-23 percent:

Nurses at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute yesterday approved a contract that will make them the highest paid nurses in New England, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, with senior nurses making more than $140,000 a year by 2009.
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"The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an awesome place to work and they really value their nurses," said Kathleen McDermott, the Dana-Farber nurse who chaired the bargaining committee for the nurses' association. "They have a lot of very experienced nurses and they ... want to keep us."

Officials at Dana-Farber also praised the new contract. "We value our nurses, their skill and the high quality of care they provide our patients and their families," said Patricia Reid Ponte, senior vice president for patient care services and chief of nursing at the hospital.

Read the whole piece from the Globe's "White Coat Notes."

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April 16, 2007

Marathon mania
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:23 AM

Work or play? You be the judge as Greater Boston and the running world go mad for the 111th running - rain and wind be d*#!ed - of the Boston Marathon.

Check out the runners' progress, photo galleries, and more at Boston.com's Marathon Central.

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April 11, 2007

Law firms: still no take your kid to work day?
Posted by Diane Danielson at 10:40 PM

I liked this interview in Sunday's Boston Globe with Julia Huston, the president of the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts called "Between the bar and a glass ceiling".  I liked that Sacha Pfeiffer pulled no punches on the following questions:

Q Do you have children?

A No.

Q Are you married?

A Yes.

Q Some female associates who want children and also want to become partners feel hopeless when they see female partners at their firms who are childless. Since you don't have kids, can you be an effective advocate for women lawyers who want children?

A It is important as a woman to support the right of all women -- and, indeed, all attorneys -- to lead balanced lives. I have always advocated for the rights of women in the profession and will continue to do so regardless of whether I have children. Working in a family-friendly environment benefits everyone. We all have lives outside of work.

And I liked Julia's answer even more.  The only tweak I might make would be to say "working in a life-friendly environment benefits everyone."  It's possible for people to have a life without necessarily having a "family" in the traditional sense.

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The payoff
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:30 PM

Ouch. Reality bites.

See more from the acerbic pen of Globe editorial cartoonist Dan Wasserman.

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April 9, 2007

You can bank on it
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:27 PM

Good news for aspiring local bankers:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. says it plans to hire up to 100 more people as it expands its fund services division in Boston.

Since last year, the New York financial services giant has hired more than 150 people in the area to provide custody, accounting, investment operations, and fund administrative services for US mutual fund companies.

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April 5, 2007

No pressure
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:39 PM

This is your typical first day in a new job, right? The first day you have to make that major presentation? The first time you have to really perform? All eyes are on you?

Yeah, right. Not quite, but sort of. Just one small difference: your right arm isn't worth $103 million.

For those who have been on Mars for the past 6 months, we're talking about the major league debut this afternoon of new Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka in Kansas City. MLB rules prohibit any freebie streaming audio or video, so follow the inning-by-inning action right here on Boston.com. (Oh yeah, don't forget to do a little of your work this afternoon, either.)

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April 3, 2007

Modeling reality
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:20 PM

VH-1's reality TV show "The Agency" is a behind-the-scenes look at the modeling world - in New York City.

But those who work in the Boston modeling scene say reality in the local industry is a little different:

In Boston, agents who watch the show view [modeling agent Becky] Southwick's potential ouster as a welcome change. Many say that while Southwick makes good television, her tendency to call even rail-thin models "cows" if their hips measure wider than 37 inches, her negative attitude toward her co-workers, and her fondness for letting liquor interfere with her job inaccurately represent those who work at agencies.

"I don't think we would ever treat people the way that she has treated people or potential models that come into the agency," says Ashleigh Hommel , a 20-year-old booking assistant at Click Models of Boston on Newbury Street and a sociology student at Boston University.

Well, we knew it all along anyway: Boston's just a nicer place to live and work.

Read the full piece from today's Globe.

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