Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal • March 30, 2015 www.wbjournal.com "We continue to have success in diver- sifying our business, which I believe will increase our resiliency." Second- quarter operating income for Jabil, based in Florida, was $124.9 million while net diluted earnings per share was 27 cents. ASH L A N D — O n Pro ce s s Technology, which specializes in ser- vice supply chain management, has extended its partnership with Ariba in North America, the company announced. OnProcess said it will pro- vide implementation and consulting services to three different Ariba divi- sions in North America. OnProcess has been providing the services to Ariba customers in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe and supporting the Ariba Supplier Network solution in America since 2010. OnProcess will also provide implementation, project management and training of Ariba's end users. FRAMINGHAM — Smartphones will make up nearly 80 percent of the "smart" connected device market by 2019, according to a new forecast from International Data Corp. (IDC) of Framingham. The forecast, part of IDC's Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker, predicts that the distri- bution of smart connected devices (SCD) will be dominated by smart- phones, at 77.8 percent, followed by PCs, at 11.6 percent; and tablets, at 10.7 percent, by 2019. That would be a large shift from the 2010 market, when desk- tops and notebooks combined to account for 52.5 percent of sales. Smartphones were right behind at 44.7 percent and tablets, 2.8 percent of the market, according to IDC. Single-family home sales in Massachusetts rose almost 4 percent in February, according to a report from The Warren Group. There were 2,166 single-family homes sold statewide in February, compared with 2,083 in February 2014. Prices were up, too. The median sales price of a single-family home in February increased 8.2 percent statewide, from $286,500 a year earlier to $310,000. It was the fifth consecutive month of increases in median sale pric- es. In Worcester County, however, sin- gle-family home sales were down slight- ly compared with February 2014: 310 sales compared with 312 a year earlier. The median sale price in the county also declined. The chief backer of Boston's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games is supporting the placement of a 2016 bal- lot referendum on the bid and that's a "good thing," according to Gov. Charlie Baker. Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish, who is spearheading an effort to bring the Olympics to Boston, told the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce that he backs a statewide referendum. "I'm a big fan of the referendum pro- cess," Baker told reporters after Fish's speech. "I've participated in it many times and I think having the 2024 peo- ple say they would support a statewide referendum, I think, is a good thing. And I think it's a signal and a message that they get the fact that the people of Massachusetts should have an opportu- nity to sign-on (to) this." The next statewide election will take place in November 2016. (State House News Service) Massachusetts reached its lowest unem- ployment rate in nearly seven years in February, according to preliminary esti- mates from the Baker administration. February's 4.9-percent rate marked a decline of 0.2 percentage points from January's 5.1 percent, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) reported. It has not been that low since May 2008, when it was 4.9 percent but just beginning its recessionary upswing. February esti- mates showed that 3,430,500 residents were employed, while 177,300 were unemployed, the EOLWD said. The state gained 800 net jobs, the EOLWD said. The professional, scientific and business services sector had the highest gain, with 2,600 jobs. Q >> Continued from previous page REGIONAL BRIEFS 905 Hartford Turnpike, Shrewsbury, MA 01545 tel. 508.842.1213 • www.elevationee.com Before After Before After CUSTOM RENTAL GLOBAL GRAPHICS EVENTS PORTABLES UPGRADE YOUR SPACE • CORPORATE OFFICE DESIGN & INSTALL Knowledge + Experience + Trusted Advice. It all adds up. Large enough to serve the needs of most businesses and individuals; small enough to o!er the personal attention you expect and deserve. Greenberg, Rosenblatt, Kull & Bitsoli, PC Certified Public Accountants .BJO4USFFU4VJUFt8PSDFTUFS." twww.grkb.com Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via Mass. Technology Leadership Council From 2009 to 2013, health care led the way as the Bay State saw a 5.1-percent increase in jobs. Which industries are adding jobs in Mass.? Health care ............................... 14.1% Leisure & hospitality .................. 13.1% Professional services .................... 8.9% Construction ................................ 8.8% Technology .................................. 8.4% Education .................................... 5.1% Job growth

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