On Jan. 1, Rhode Island’s minimum wage rose 35 cents to $7.75 an hour, increasing the average minimum wage worker’s annual pay by $510. more

Ellen Alemany, chairman and CEO of RBS Citizens Financial Group Inc., has been recognized as one of the 25 most powerful women in banking by American Banker. more

As a result of reorganization of the senior management structure at Lifespan, Dr. Kathleen Hittner, senior vice president of community health and perioperative services and former president and CEO of The Miriam Hospital, will retire effective Oct. 17. more

Hasbro Inc. was recognized in The Civic 50 survey as one of the country’s most community-minded companies along with companies such as IBM, Citigroup and AT&T. more

Johnston-based property insurer FM Global was named one of five companies with the Best Benefits Practices of 2012 by the New England Employee Benefits Council. more

The Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. will issue a 4 percent dividend payment to its 11,700 policyholders, the company announced Thursday. more

Construction employment rose in 125 out of 337 metro areas, including the Providence-Fall River-Warwick area, dropped in 160 out of 337 metro areas, including the New Bedford metro area, and stayed stagnant in 52 metro areas from September 2011 to September 2012, according to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America. more

In light of Hurricane Sandy, Providence Business News has decided to postpone the Summit on Employers and Education to Wednesday, Nov. 7. more

As part of a nationwide Black Friday protest, Walmart workers and community allies plan to gather at Walmart retail stores across Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Black Friday. more

Employers added workers in December at about the same pace as the prior month, and the unemployment rate matched a four-year low, showing sustained gains in the U.S. labor market even as lawmakers were struggling to reach a budget deal. more