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.

(more…)

Those who have a Chicago retail job with one large company could soon be unemployed.

Neiman Marcus Group Inc. recently announced its plan to cut 375 jobs, or about 3 percent of the company’s workforce. The layoffs will affect varying retail jobs with different parts of the company, including corporate and store positions.

The company also will make interest payments for senior notes due in 2015 by issuing more debt rather than paying cash, according to an article by Reuters. The company, which operates luxury department stores, hopes the moves will help save money and further cut costs.

(more…)

A popular wireless communications company will soon create many Chicago retail jobs.

Cricket Communications, Inc., a wireless service, has announced it’s plans to enter the Chicago area market in 2009. This move will add about 2,150 jobs to the local economy, including 350 jobs with Cricket and 1,800 jobs through its dealer partners. Positions are available in the areas of sales, administration and technology, according to an article by Market Watch.

“As we ramp up to launch our flat-rate, unlimited service in the Chicago area, we are excited to build a team with local talent and are actively recruiting in the community to fill several key positions,” John Noelker, regional vice president for Cricket Midwest, said in the article. “During a time of economic instability, launching Cricket’s affordable wireless services means economic growth for our community and reliable wireless service for people previously underserved.”

(more…)

The holidays are coming, and so are a plethora of people looking for seasonal Chicago retail jobs.

While the current state of the economy is slowing and the number of people losing their jobs is increasing, it is expected that competition for seasonal jobs at retail stores will be higher than usual this year. According to an article by CBS2, some retail chains are already beginning to hire for the holiday season.

The Illinois Retail Federation states that most retail chains are hiring, and most are expecting a high number of applications. National chains traditionally add 25 to 40 percent more workers to their staff during the holidays, and most stores will keep those numbers this year despite the economy.

(more…)

Recently compiled data from last year shows that the Chicago retail industry might as well have been at a standstill in 2007. Overall, this sector saw profits increase by only 1.09 percent, to $106.9 billion, according to a recent industry report that utilized sales tax data from the Illinois Department of Revenue. This is drastically lower than the 6.5 percent growth rate experienced in 2006 and the smallest rise since 2003.

“You can see the recession starting to occur,” John Melaniphy, Melaniphy and Associates Inc. and publisher of the report said. “There’s still a lot of weakness in the market. I think its more serious than a lot of people realize.”

(more…)