Nov. 30, 2010 at 1:44 p.m.
Filed under:
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs,
Policy,
Politics
By Kathy Bergen
While the U.S. economy will grow at a modest clip in 2011, housing prices likely will languish and unemployment will remain high, according to forecasts by University of Chicago Booth School of Business professors at a luncheon presentation today.
Growth in the gross domestic product could reach 3.4 percent, exceeding the consensus of economic forecasters, according to economics professor Randall Kroszner, who was a governor of the Federal Reserve System from 2006 to 2009.
“I don’t agree with those who say we are in an extended period of low growth, but we are unlikely to have a powerful recovery either,” he said. Get the full story »
Nov. 30, 2010 at 7:41 a.m.
Filed under:
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
From the Chicago Sun-Times | A stimulus program that has given job training and work experience to 26,000 low-income Illinoisans will end today unless Congress extends its funding. Gov. Quinn extended the “Put Illinois to Work” program for two months past its original Sept. 30 expiration date by allocating $75 million in state money on Sept. 29. Get the full story >>
Nov. 29, 2010 at 9:24 a.m.
Filed under:
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs,
Mortgages,
Real estate
By Kathy Bergen
Mortgage-related jobs slid in the third quarter, with the biggest net losses occurring in Maryland, Illinois and Oregon, according to an index published by MortgageDaily.com.
With 3,216 layoffs and 2,286 hires, the net loss was 930 jobs. For the first three quarters of the year, there has been a net gain of 524 jobs.
This flattening comes after a modest rebound last year, following two years of dramatic job losses. In 2005, more than half a million people worked in mortgage lending, and less than half are left now, MortgageDaily.com reports. Get the full story »
Nov. 24, 2010 at 1:15 p.m.
Filed under:
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
By Associated Press
The Illinois Department of Employment Security is reporting unemployment in all the state’s metropolitan areas fell in October.
The agency reported Wednesday the metro area showing the largest decline in unemployment was Peoria, down 2.4 points to 9.3 percent, with Chicago-Joliet-Naperville 1.5 points lower at 8.9 percent. Rockford was 1.4 points lower at 14.4 percent, and Decatur 1.4 points lower at 10.9 percent. Get the full story »
Nov. 24, 2010 at 8:17 a.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
By Associated Press
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to the lowest level since July 2008, a hopeful sign that improvement in the job market is accelerating.
The Labor Department said Wednesday that weekly unemployment claims dropped by 34,000 to a seasonally adjusted 407,000 in the week ending Nov. 20. Wall Street analysts expected a much smaller drop. Get the full story>>
Nov. 18, 2010 at 1:29 p.m.
Filed under:
Insurance,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
By Bruce Japsen
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois said Thursday that it will cut more than 90 jobs in its Chicago-based individual policy business as part of an ongoing companywide consolidation plan.
The company said 92 jobs at its Chicago facility would be affected by spring of 2011. However, the company said, 75 will be added to its Hallmark Services Corp. subsidiary in Naperville and another 11 will be added to a facility in Abilene, Texas. Get the full story »
By Reuters
In this Sept. 20, 2010 photograph, people attend a job fair at a hotel in Boston. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
New U.S. claims for jobless benefits barely rose last week and manufacturing activity in the country’s Mid-Atlantic region touched a near one-year high in November, more proof the economy was regaining momentum.
The improving economic picture also was enhanced by another report on Thursday showing a gauge of future activity increased 0.5 percent in October.
However, the data are not robust enough to deter the Federal Reserve from fully implementing its much criticized program to purchase $600 billion worth of government debt to push already low interest rates down to stimulate the economy. Get the full story »
Nov. 16, 2010 at 12:55 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs,
Taxes
By Reuters
A deal on a temporary extension of the Bush-era tax rates could emerge that would also renew unemployment benefits for 2 million Americans about to lose them, top lawmakers said Tuesday. Get the full story »
Nov. 16, 2010 at 11:18 a.m.
Filed under:
Insurance,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
From Pantagraph.com | State Farm Insurance acknowledged the possibility of upcoming job losses after completing an internal assessment of five departments.
Nov. 5, 2010 at 8:22 a.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Government,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
By Tribune newspapers
The nation’s sluggish job market showed signs of life in October: Employers added a net 151,000 jobs over the month, and private-sector job creation was the strongest since April, the Labor Department said Friday.
However, the better-than-expected job gains weren’t large enough to bring down the unemployment rate, which remained stuck at 9.6 percent for the third month in a row. A broader measure of unemployment and underemployment, which includes part-time workers who can’t find full-time jobs, dropped a notch to 17 percent last month. Get the full story »
Nov. 4, 2010 at 10:23 a.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs,
Management
By Reuters
(Reuters)
Four years ago, generous benefits and opportunities for advancement convinced Leigh Swanson to use her new master’s degree in human resources to manage a Starbucks cafe. She called it one of the best workplaces she had ever experienced.
Then, in 2007, with the coffee chain in the midst of a building binge, the worst downturn since the Great Depression hit, hammering Starbucks’ bottom line. Sharp cost-cuts, the introduction of corporate efficiency tools like scheduling software and an increased emphasis on pushing product sales have helped the company return to record profitability.
They also led Swanson to quit in May. The disappearing perks and the financial fixes dampened her enthusiasm for recruiting potential new partners, as Starbucks calls its employees. “I found it really sad. I was really invested,” said Swanson, who was in charge of a Starbucks in the Florida Panhandle. “I just didn’t feel proud anymore. I wasn’t in it to manage a McDonald’s.” Get the full story »
Nov. 4, 2010 at 7:52 a.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
By Associated Press
The number of people seeking jobless benefits jumped sharply last week, after two straight weeks of declines. The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment aid rose by 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 457,000 for the week ending Oct. 30. Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a smaller rise.
Nov. 1, 2010 at 4:20 p.m.
Filed under:
Banking,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
By Becky Yerak
Charter One, a Royal Bank of Scotland Group unit that’s the 12th biggest deposit gatherer in the Chicago area, said it has laid off a “handful” of Illinois employees after a review of its commercial real estate lending division. Get the full story »
Nov. 1, 2010 at 3:07 p.m.
Filed under:
Insurance,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs
By Bruce Japsen
Health Care Service Corp., the parent of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, confirmed the health plan operator was cutting 62 jobs as part of a restructuring across the country.
The Chicago-based health insurance company, the nation’s fourth-largest health insurer, operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to strategically assess and align our business with the needs of the marketplace, we made the decision to restructure a few areas of the company,” said Illinois Blue Cross spokesman Jack Segal. Get the full story »
Oct. 29, 2010 at 7:36 a.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs,
Policy
By Associated Press
Employment costs posted another modest gain in the July-to-September quarter, with compensation for state and local government employees turning in the weakest performance in nearly three decades.
