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Unemployment rates rose in more than two-thirds of the nation’s largest metro areas in November, a sharp reversal from the previous month and the most since June.
The Labor Department says unemployment rates rose in 258 of the 372 largest cities, fell in 88 and remained the same in 26. That’s worse than the previous month, when the rate fell in 200 areas and rose in 108. Get the full story »
Discount-store operator Dollar General Corp. said Monday it plans to open 625 new stores and hire more than 6,000 workers in 2011.
Urban Partnership Bank, the successor to failed ShoreBank, is telling customers that on March 17 it will close its branches at 4659 S. Cottage Grove in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago and at 3401 S. King Drive in the Bronzeville area of the city.
“With current market conditions making expansion less expensive and real estate more available, we have decided to explore new retail branch locations to better serve our customers,” Urban Partnership said in a letter to customers obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
Urban Partnership said in the letter that it’s “actively seeking new locations” in Chicago and in Cleveland, where it is also closing a branch, “that will be accessible with the latest technologies” and more convenient. Get the full story »
New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week to touch their lowest level in more than two years, suggesting the labor market recovery was gaining strength. Get the full story »
More firms said they plan to hire full-time, permanent workers in 2011 than did this year, but wage growth likely will remain modest, according to data released Wednesday by job site CareerBuilder.com.
Almost one-quarter of employers — 24 percent — said they plan to hire full-time, permanent workers in 2011. That compares with 20 percent this year, and 14 percent in 2009, according to CareerBuilder.com’s survey in late November of more than 2,400 hiring managers and human-resource professionals. Get the full story »
Corporate profits are up. Stock prices are up. So why isn’t anyone hiring?
Many American companies are — overseas, where sales are surging and the pipeline of orders is fat. Get the full story »
The number of mass layoffs decreased slightly in November to roughly 1,500, affecting more than more than 5,000 workers in Illinois, according to the statistics released today by the Bureau of Labor statistics. Get the full story »
Cook County workers saw their average compensation decline by 0.3 percent in 2009 to $67,791 per job, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
When adding the compensation of all workers, Cook County experienced a decline of 5.2 percent to 1.7 million. Cook was among the more than 2,000 counties — about two-thirds — that experienced compensation declines in 2009. Get the full story »
A gauge of future economic activity rose in November, at the fastest pace since March, suggesting the economy will strengthen early next year.
The Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators rose 1.1 percent last month — the biggest increase since March, when the index jumped 1.4 percent. Get the full story »
The unemployment rate in Illinois fell to 9.6 percent in November, the eighth consecutive month of improvement. The jobless figure is a smidge below the October rate of 9.8 percent. Get the full story »
A company that makes and distributes copper and copper-alloy products is considering moving its headquarters from southwestern Illinois to Kentucky. Get the full story »
Top corporate executives expect to hire more workers and spend more on their companies over the next six months.
A survey from Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of big U.S. companies, shows 45 percent of executives say they expect their companies to add more workers. That’s the highest percentage who have said they planned to add jobs since the survey began in late 2002. Get the full story »
General Motors Co. said Monday that it was looking to reduce its payroll by several thousand skilled trade workers at 14 U.S. plants in the first quarter of 2011.
GM has offered $60,000 to skilled trades workers who retire or leave the automaker’s payroll by March, said spokesman Chris Lee. The automaker has a “a couple thousand” more skilled trade workers than it needs in the U.S., Lee said. Get the full story »
TJX Cos. says it is shuttering its A.J. Wright discount stores, cutting 4,400 jobs and converting the stores to other brands such as T.J. Maxx.
According to a company spokeswoman, the Chicago area has 11 A.J. Wright stores now slated for conversion to T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or HomeGoods. Eleven other A.J. Wright stores that will close. Get the full story »
