A new round of layoffs from Proctor & Gamble may hurt sales jobs in Rhode Island.
Proctor & Gamble just announced hundreds of layoffs globally.

The company is reducing the number of non-manufacturing workers by about 3 percent or or 1,600 people by the end of the fiscal year.

No details are known yet about where or when the layoffs will specifically occur.

According to its latest financial stats, P&G delivered four percent sales growth to $22.1 billion for the October – December quarter. Growth was driven by higher volume and pricing actions, partially offset by geographic and product mix.

The company continued to deliver broad-based organic sales growth, with all six business segments up versus the prior year. Diluted net earnings per share were $0.57 per share, reflecting non-core charges of $0.53 per share. The non-core items included a $0.50 per share non-cash impairment charge associated with the Appliances and Salon Professional businesses. Core net earnings per share were $1.10, toward the high end of P&G’s expectations for the quarter.

“We continue to make progress against our key business priorities in a difficult macroeconomic environment,” said Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer Bob McDonald. “We delivered solid top-line growth and continued to accelerate productivity improvements to drive down costs. With the easing of commodity cost comparisons over the next two quarters, continued solid top-line growth and cost savings progress, we expect operating profit growth to accelerate in the second half of the fiscal year.”

GE, which specializes in solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance, announced this week a big push to hire for manufacturing jobs in Rhode Island, among other locations around the U.S.

The company unveiled a program aimed at strengthening America’s global competitiveness by building a more highly skilled workforce, lowering healthcare costs and supporting the integration of the nation’s veterans into the workforce.

As part of its focus on what works, GE will launch several new programs throughout the year, including:

· New pilot programs with partners to improve healthcare delivery in Louisville, KY, and Erie, PA, to achieve better health at lower costs in each community. This follows a successful program in Cincinnati that has resulted in significantly lower costs for both local employers and providers while improving access and maintaining quality care.

· Hiring 5,000 U.S. veterans over the next five years and sponsoring a “Hire our Heroes” partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help veterans integrate into the civilian workforce and match them to jobs.

· Opening several manufacturing skill-building centers called “GE Garages” to spark interest in skills for jobs and partnering with GOOD/Corps on the What Works Project, a new interactive platform to highlight what works by inviting the public to submit stories, images or video depictions of what is currently driving American competitiveness. The project will award up to $10,000 each week through November to selected non-profit organizations that support American jobs and skills training.

· Doubling the number of GE engineering interns to more than 5,000 as part of an initiative proposed by the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to add 10,000 more engineering graduates a year in the U.S.

Narragansett Bay Insurance is promoting from within and enhancing the pay of insurance jobs in Rhode Island.

Chief Executive Officer Nick Steffey recently announced the promotions of several employees, citing their dedication and accomplishments and reinforcing Narragansett Bay Insurance Company’s commitment to creating a work environment focused on professional growth and upward mobility.

Calling the employees “shining stars,” Steffey made the announcements at the company’s expanded and renovated headquarters at 25 Maple St. in downtown Pawtucket. The renovations include a state-of-the-art fitness center for Narragansett Bay Insurance Company’s employees, offering free gym memberships, professional trainers, nutritionists and a massage therapist.

Since 2008, the number of NBIC employees has grown 76 percent, and that growth continues, with 15 additional professional positions approved for Q4 hiring. Cited by the “Providence Business News” as the fastest growing company in Rhode Island among firms with up to $25 million in capital, NBIC is expected to have a record-setting year.