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News from Seattle's Office of Economic Development

Business Breakfast Seminar: Employment law update with Robert Howie

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Pacific Associates and the Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center present The Business Breakfast Series for business owners, executives, hiring managers, and HR professionals.

Robert M. Howie, principal and chair, Labor & Employment Law Group, Riddell Williams P.S., will present on the Employment Law Update. To read Robert M. Howie’s bio, please click here.

Attend a continental-style breakfast, networking, and a review of significant employment and labor law developments in the past year – cases, regulations, and legislation, including:

> Key Washington & federal cases that could affect your business

> Natinal Labor Relations Board’s efforts to encourage & facilitate unionization in public/private workplaces

> New federal regulations on the ADAAA & GINA

> Latest news from the U.S. Supreme Court

> Impacts of social networking sites on the workplace

To register, please click here.

The event will be held on September 27 from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle Community College – 6737 Corson Ave. S. – and free parking is available.

For additional event info or questions contact Dan Bernard, dbernard@pacassoc.com.

Growth spurs Washington Publishing Company to relocate to Seattle

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Growth spurs Washington Publishing Company to relocate to Seattle
MarketWire
Fueled by aggressive growth and demand for its healthcare technology and business expertise, Washington Publishing Company announced the relocation of its Bellevue corporate headquarters to Seattle.

Distilling the wisdom of CEO’s
New York Times
What does it take to lead an organization – whether it’s a sports team, a nonprofit, a start-up or a multinational corporation? This article draws on over 70 responses from chief executives on what are the essentials for success. Check out five essentials to determine how to get that next promotion.

Puget Sound boatyards could hook big orders from change in law
Puget Sound Business Journal
A sea change in federal law will, for the first time in decades, allow owners of the region’s largest fishing vessels to replace or enlarge them, bringing a potential bonanza of shipyard and design work to the Northwest.

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As a service to the Seattle business community, the Office of Economic Development curates a daily business news blast, Daily Digest. As a feature on Bottom Line, we’re posting a handful of stories from the Daily Digest every day.  Find the stories informative or helpful? Keep checking Bottom Line or sign up for Daily Digest to receive the full version in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Daily Digest here.

 

Two new tax benefits help employers

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Are you an employer hiring workers who were previously unemployed or only working part time? There are now two new tax benefits available to you. These provisions are part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act enacted into law March 18, 2010.

According to this law, employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010. This reduced tax withholding will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers would still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2-percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes.

In addition, for each worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker, when they file their 2011 income tax returns.

The two tax benefits are especially helpful to employers who are adding positions to their payrolls. New hires filling existing positions also qualify, but only if the workers they are replacing left voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other relatives do not qualify.

Cick here to view the full text of the HIRE Act bill.