Blog
January 10, 2012 - 2:00pm
Guest blog post by U.S.
January 10, 2012 - 6:00am
Yesterday, the North American International Auto Show kicked off in Detroit, with companies unveiling their new vehicles and folks eager to get their first peek. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was on hand for the opening events, and Commerce Secretary John Bryson, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and the Labor Department’s Director Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers Jay Williams are all taking part in auto show activities this week.
January 9, 2012 - 1:00pm
On Friday, the Commerce Department unveiled the COMPETES Report: A Roadmap for Strengthening U.S. Competitiveness. The report makes three important findings:
Federal investments in research, education and infrastructure were critical building blocks for American economic competitiveness, business expansion and job creation in the last century;
Failures to properly invest in, and have comprehensive strategies for, those areas have eroded America’s competitive position; and,
January 9, 2012 - 7:14am
Did your small business hire employees for the first time in 2011? Did you use the services of an independent contractor? Or do you simply need a refresher on the ins and outs of wage reporting season?
Here’s what you need to know about your annual employer reporting obligations.
How to Report Employee Wages and Taxes – W-2s Explained
January 6, 2012 - 3:32pm
When a friend or family member asks what you do to help small businesses, what do you say?
January 6, 2012 - 10:36am
Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue the economic policies that are helping us to dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the recession that began at the end of 2007. Most importantly, we need to extend the payroll tax cut and continue to provide emergency unemployment benefits through the end of this year, and take other steps the President has proposed in the American Jobs Act.
January 6, 2012 - 10:00am
The U.S
Department of Commerce today delivered to Congress a comprehensive report on “The
Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States.” The report
serves as a call to arms, highlighting bipartisan priorities to sustain and
promote American innovation and economic competitiveness. At 10am ET, watch Secretary Bryson present the report and then a distinguished panel discuss the findings. [The event has now concluded]
The
report makes three important findings:
Federal investments in research, education and
infrastructure were critical building blocks for American economic
January 6, 2012 - 10:00am
The 20th century was a period of extraordinary performance in the United States. Americans were living longer and more fruitful lives. They were better-educated than past generations and residents of other countries. The United States was out-innovating, out-educating, out-connecting, and out-producing the rest of the world, assisted by ground-breaking research and federal funding. Life expectancy was higher than it had ever been, more than 70 percent of teenagers were enrolled in secondary education, and in 1986 the United States comprised 25.2 percent of the world’s economy.
January 6, 2012 - 10:00am
[Ed. Note: Watch Secretary of Commerce John Bryson unveil the report details live today from 10 am - noon]
Today, the Commerce Department and the White House sent to Congress the Administration’s plan on The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States, fulfilling an important requirement under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 which President Obama signed into law one year ago this month.
January 5, 2012 - 2:00pm
Two agencies of the Department of Commerce unveiled new home pages for their websites in December—the result of efforts to make news and data more readily available and easily accessible to users. The agencies studied user feedback and website best practices to create a more visual and less confusing approach to the mission of informing the public. Both feature links to agency blogs written by their leadership and guest authors and links to economic indicators and career and business opportunities.On December 20, the U.S.