Illinois Companies Announce 1,100 Layoffs

By aaroncynic in News on Aug 3, 2011 7:00PM

More than 1,100 people in Illinois will find themselves in the unemployment line before the year is out, according to the Chicago Tribune. Last month, workers at 10 large companies in the state received notice they would be part of various mass layoffs taking place. The biggest layoff will be at Sun-Times Media, which announced last month it would close its printing plant and lay off 456 workers. The Tribune Co. will take over printing Sun-Times papers.

The Sun-Times reports here in Chicago, ShopKo and the Schofield Media Group will cut more than 100 jobs next month, while more than 400 additional job losses will come from the outer lying suburbs. The outplacement employer Challenger, Gray & Christmas announced more than 60,000 planned job cuts nationwide for July. CEO John Challenger told the Sun Times “What may be the most worrisome about the July surge is that the heaviest layoffs occurred in industries that, until now, have enjoyed relatively low job cut levels.”