Business in brief: Job security worries state’s employed

Nearly a third of Washington residents are concerned about job security amid signs of a slow recovery, according to a new survey for Everest College.

When asked about the high unemployment rate, 29 percent of workers in the state said they were concerned about losing their job. Meanwhile, 36 percent of survey respondents said they are considering returning to school to enhance their career or train for a new one, according to the second annual Washington State Workplace Confidence Survey conducted by Harris/Decima.

The survey indicated that 26 percent of Washingtonians indicated they would be very likely to change careers if nothing stood in their way, up from 19 percent in 2009.

The survey was conducted March 4-10 with 504 employed residents surveyed by telephone.

Staff report

Hewlett-Packard buys Palm phones

San Jose, Calif. – Hewlett-Packard is buying the struggling mobile phone company Palm in a $1.2 billion deal, a move that will give the world’s largest PC-maker new strength in the mobile computing and smart-phone markets.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett-Packard announced the deal Wednesday, saying it has been approved by the boards of both companies.

The acquisition could help Hewlett-Packard fill out a noticeable gap in its portfolio of products. Hewlett-Packard currently sells a little-known line of mobile phones, which date back to its acquisition of Compaq, but they are a minor presence in the mobile phone market.

Palm, once famous for its pioneering handheld devices, has struggled financially in recent years. While its line of smart phones won technical praise, it has not been able to win a large share of the market, now dominated by Apple’s iPhone, as well as the BlackBerry line from Research in Motion and other smart phones.

San Jose Mercury News