Signs of hiring are cropping up, and employment experts and job seekers offer tips on how to prepare for your opportunity.

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A new bill sponsored by a Chicago state representative is getting backlash from a lot of small businesses and could cost Chicago jobs (click here).

State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, is sponsoring the Healthy Workplace Act, which would mandate that all employers allow sick days for every worker. If the new law passes, all workers would accumulate medical leave at the rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, starting at the date of hire, for a maximum of seven paid sick days per year.

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Chicago hospitality jobs suffered a blow today when a new report on the restaurant industry revealed the minimum wage most of these workers in Chicago receive.

According to the report, more than 80 percent of the cooks, servers, hosts, busboys and bartenders in the Chicago metropolitan area make less than $10 an hour.

The report, entitled, “Behind the Kitchen Door,” was compiled by the Chicagoland Restaurant Industry Coalition, a group of academics, workers rights advocates, unions, and restaurant owners and employees. The findings are based on 582 worker surveys, plus interviews with restaurant workers and employers in Cook County, conducted between Sept. 2008 and May 2009.

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