Private Sector

New research on the labor market for science and technology graduates poses a threat to the lobbying efforts of business owners and entrepreneurs, many of whom want Congress to let more highly skilled workers into the United States. One of their main arguments is that the country is not producing enough native-born workers in STEM fields — referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics — to keep pace with surging demand from the private sector. Congress should...

AMMAN, Jordan — Just six months of learning to mend air conditioners changed Mohammed Nabouti's life. Instead of drifting after high school like many of his jobless friends, the 21-year-old Jordanian works steadily, has taken a small loan to start his own business and recently got engaged. Nabouti's story points to a fix the unemployment-stricken Middle East might try until deeper economic reforms can kick in, experts say -- job training, micro loans and help in setting up businesses.

THINK BACK TO JANUARY 1991: The Web, e-mail, cellphones -- all virtually unknown. The three networks still mattered. The Soviet Union still existed. Downtown Bethesda was barely worthy of the name. There was no Dulles Town Center, no Verizon Center, no Green Line. The Redskins played at RFK. A lot can change in 17 years. On the other hand, the Washington area road system was largely identical to what it is today. Madonna was already Madonna. The Wizards -- okay, the Bullets -- were already cursed.

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Md. — Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, both Democrats, are scheduled to deliver remarks during a forum hosted by the Urban Land Institute Baltimore. Thursday's event will focus on Maryland's new public-private partnerships legislation signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley last month. The law creates a streamlined process for the private sector to take part in building public roads or buildings. The event, sponsored by Ballard...

In 2012, the Washington commercial real estate market became more competitive for investors. Our region faced the threat of sequestration — automatic federal budget cuts — only to see a decision on those cuts deferred until March. Uncertainty led to stasis: executives across the region paused their hiring and investment, waiting for the government to act. This led to the first year of negative net absorption — more space being vacated than leased — on record for the Washington area office market.

We asked: The debate over private vs. federal workforce pay and compensation continues. Have you ever been engaged by anyone on the issue? How does your pay and compensation stack up against your counterparts in the private sector? You said: I'm the head of new media, plans and analysis for my agency. That is the equivalent of a VP of public relations. In the commercial sector, depending on corporation size and region, I make somewhere between $30,000 and $200,000 less than my civilian counterpart would.

As a former federal employee, I know that many, if not most, government workers work hard [ "Budget ax creeps closer to reality for federal workers," news story, Dec. 25]. Still, I had a schadenfreude moment when the story lamented: "Federal workers have become jaded after a two-year pay freeze and congressional fights over spending that keep agencies lurching from one stopgap budget to another. " These are budget conditions that the private sector in much of the nation would kill for. Patrick Kearns , Cardiff-by-the-Sea,...

In a county that houses a building that was hit by a hijacked airplane, planning for the next emergency takes on a special urgency. Since the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, Arlington County has taken steps to help residents prepare for disasters. Now, officials are extending that effort to the private sector, enlisting the business community in a joint project to get ready for terrorist attacks or other emergencies. The Businesses for a Safer Arlington Partnership consists of a series of workshops...

When tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes strike communities throughout the United States, federal, state and local teams immediately rush to the scene to provide emergency aid and assist in recovery and rebuilding efforts. Often missing from the equation has been the full integration of the private sector into the government's disaster planning and response—a limitation that Dan Stoneking of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been systematically addressing.

President Obama is being excoriated by the GOP for telling the truth.  Sure, unemployment remains high, but as Ezra Klein reminds us in his June 12 column [" When it comes to explaining policy, politician Jindal knows better. Or should. "], corporate profits as a percentage of gross domestic product are the highest we've seen in decades, while corporate tax payments (also as a percentage of GDP) are at a historic low. So judging by a couple of key metrics, the private sector is, in fact,...

___ Bashful? Buy the little blue pill online TRENTON, N.J. — Men who are bashful about needing help in the bedroom no longer have to go to the drugstore to buy that little blue pill. In a first for the drug industry, Pfizer Inc. told The Associated Press that the drugmaker will begin selling its popular erectile dysfunction pill Viagra to patients on its website. Men still will need a prescription to buy the blue, diamond-shaped pill on viagra.com, but they no longer have to face a pharmacist to get it filled.

WASHINGTON — It seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay. The choice already exists in the public sector. Federal and state workers can save earned time off and use it weeks or even months later to attend a parent-teacher conference, care for an elderly parent or deal with home repairs. Republicans in Congress are pushing legislation that would extend that option to...

The Washington area's unemployment rate dipped to 5.3 percent in March, according to a report released Wednesday by the Labor Department, as the leisure and hospitality industry again posted the region's strongest job growth. That sector added 11,400 jobs between March 2012 and March 2013. Analysts say the job growth in this industry is largely a result of a surge in business at area restaurants and bars. In the sectors that have traditionally been the strongholds of the regional economy —...

New research on the labor market for science and technology graduates poses a threat to the lobbying efforts of business owners and entrepreneurs, many of whom want Congress to let more highly skilled workers into the United States. One of their main arguments is that the country is not producing enough native-born workers in STEM fields — referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics — to keep pace with surging demand from the private sector. Congress...

THE HOUSE PASSED a new cybersecurity bill on Thursday, and the accompanying report emphasizes what many corporate and government experts know only too well. "A number of advanced nation-state actors are actively engaged in a series of wide-ranging, aggressive efforts to penetrate American computer systems and networks" and "these efforts are targeted not only at sensitive national security and infrastructure information but are also often aimed at stealing corporate research and development...

Tens of thousands mourned former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher at her ceremonial funeral in London Wednesday. Meanwhile, protesters elsewhere celebrated Thatcher's death by burning effigies . Keep reading for views on Thatcher and her legacy from British writers. The Economist | Freedom fighter Her reforms, it is said, sowed the seeds of the recent economic crisis. Without Thatcherism, the big bang would not have happened. Financial services would not make up such a large slice of...

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is about to lose a top aide who has been instrumental in many hard-fought legislative victories over the past six years, including recent bills to legalize same-sex marriage and expand the state's gambling program . Joseph C. Bryce , O'Malley's chief legislative officer, plans to announce Friday that he is leaving the administration to join one of the top lobbying firms in Annapolis, Manis Canning &...

A chronic shortage of engineering students threatens America's role as the world's leading innovator and continues to impede our nation's fragile economic recovery. Over the past 20 years, the percentage of engineers graduating in the United States has stagnated, while India and China surpass us with rapid progress. For this and other critical issues shaping our nation's future, President Obama convened the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness . I serve on the council and co-lead a task force to...

The dollars have been allocated, the law is on their side, and the house at 9300 Prescott Ave. in Manassas is in terrible condition. That's more than city officials need to demolish the dilapidated, more than 100-year-old Queen Anne-Style house on Prescott Avenue under blight abatement laws. But its potential charm has seduced city leaders since the mid-1990s, and all would like to see a different outcome for a house that many agree should be an inviting welcome to the city's historic district.

Maryland transportation officials are asking private companies to consider how they could help build — and, most importantly, help pay for — a light-rail Purple Line in the Washington suburbs. If they move ahead with the ideas, it would be the first time the state has sought private investment for building a transit project. A 16-mile Purple Line to provide a direct transit link between Montgomery and Prince George's counties has been studied for years, but state officials...