What you might have missed from the week in business

Hiring rebounded in the state as employers added 11,000 jobs in October, the most in six months, the state labor department reported Thursday. The Massachusetts unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6 percent last month, below the national unemployment rate of 5 percent. Employers cut more than 2,000 jobs in September, but especially strong hiring in the education and health services, which added 5,200 jobs last month, led last month's rebound. Professional, scientific, and business services added 3,000 jobs in October, and most other employers also added workers. The state has added about 80,000 jobs over the past year.

The Federal Reserve is issuing increasingly explicit warnings that it will probably start raising its benchmark interest rate in December. Most Fed officials think the economy will be ready for higher rates, according to the minutes of the Fed's October policy meeting. "While no decision had been made, it may well become appropriate to initiate the normalization process at the next meeting," it said. The account noted that liftoff from historically low rates might still be delayed by "unanticipated shocks" or disappointing economic data. But in the wake of the strong October jobs report, investors and analysts are convinced that a rate hike is imminent.

For the first time, Americans will be able to dine on a genetically altered animal, after federal regulators Thursday approved a Massachusetts biotechnology company's bid to modify salmon for human consumption. The controversial gene-altering procedure to make salmon grow faster, which was developed in recent years by AquaBounty Technologies of Maynard, makes the fish no less nutritious or safe to consume than any other Atlantic salmon, the US Food and Drug Administration said. The decision was a big win for AquaBounty, which first began seeking approval in the 1990s for its technique of inserting growth hormone genes from Chinook salmon and an eel-like creature called ocean pout into the DNA of Atlantic salmon.

The Massachusetts Port Authority is reviving its effort to build a hotel on land it owns across the street from the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, but this one could be less than roughly half the size of its original proposal. The South Boston project's downsizing is another sign that the powers-that-be in Boston don't expect to see a revival of the proposed $1 billion convention center expansion anytime soon. Governor Charlie Baker decided in April to put the expansion on pause, which then prompted Massport to reconsider a massive hotel. The decision to move ahead with a smaller proposal also could make it more likely that the new project can be built without tax breaks or other public subsidies.

New and used car sales have been on a roll this past year as consumers splurge on sedans, pickup trucks, and luxury vehicles, providing a boost to another industry: credit unions. Credit unions are grabbing a larger share of the auto lending business, and that's translated to higher membership in Massachusetts and nationwide. In Massachusetts, credit union membership has climbed at its fastest pace in five years, hitting 2.6 million members in the second quarter of 2015, up about 5 percent from the same time last year, according to the latest industry data. Nationally, credit union membership is up 3 percent.

Carol Meyrowitz, the outgoing chief executive of retail giant the TJX Companies of Framingham, is poised to leave the company on a very high note. TJX beat stock analysts' earnings expectations for a fourth straight quarter Tuesday. The parent of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and other stores said comparable-store sales grew 5 percent last quarter. Meyrowitz will step down in January. During her nine-year tenure, the retailer's sales grew by two-thirds and profits nearly tripled to $2.2 billion. Ernie Herrman, Meyrowitz's No. 2, will take the reins in January 2016.

The biggest US health insurer is considering pulling out of the Affordable Care Act as it loses hundreds of millions of dollars on the program, casting a pall over President Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. UnitedHealth Group has scaled back marketing efforts for plans sold to individuals this year and might quit the business entirely in 2017. UnitedHealth is a small player on the Massachusetts insurance exchange. Fewer than 500 people on the exchange, called the Health Connector, have UnitedHealth plans. That's about 1 percent of the 46,000 people who buy insurance on the Connector and do not receive subsidies.

Christopher A. Viehbacher, the former chief executive of French drug giant Sanofi SA, said Thursday he is launching a new drug development company called Boston Pharmaceuticals with $600 million from a global investment fund. Viehbacher was fired from the parent of Cambridge biotech Genzyme Corp. a year ago after clashing with Sanofi's board. He now runs a $2 billion Cambridge firm called Gurnet Point Capital, bankrolled by Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli. Boston Pharma, the first company Gurnet is starting, hopes to pioneer a new niche somewhere between venture-backed startups that do early-stage research and large pharmaceutical companies that shepherd drugs through late-stage clinical trials.

Dunkin' Donuts is testing delivery and on-the-go ordering. The Canton-based doughnut and coffee chain began offering delivery in Dallas and will add the service to Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington in coming weeks. Delivery orders need to be made on the app or website of DoorDash, the delivery company that Dunkin' Donuts is partnering with. Tests of on-the-go ordering are taking place at stores in Portland, Maine. Customers place orders on the Dunkin' Donuts app in advance and pick them up at a store. With the tests, Dunkin' Donuts is catching up with Seattle-based Starbucks Corp., which already offers on-the-go ordering at 7,400 US stores and is testing deliveries in certain cities.