It's no surprise that more people are communicating now by means of the internet and telecommunication. However, increased forms of alternative communication really means bad news for the U.S. Postal Service. As a response to financial and circulation losses, the USPS has been slowly getting around to implementing service changes and cutbacks, and all signs point to the fact that this is not going to be a fun ride. Among the seven district offices that the USPS plans on shutting down is a USPS district office in Carol Stream, Illinois. Unfortunately, the cuts don't stop there - the USPS also plans on letting go of 7,500 employees, the majority of them who are supervisors and postmasters. All of these changes will take place over the course of the year. more ›

Who says the economy is recovering? Not Playboy Enterprises. The Chicago-based company (with offices also in LA) announced yesterday more job cuts are coming as they struggle to save $3 million. There's no word on how many jobs will be lost in the next round of cuts, but the company had already cut 78 jobs in the period from the end of March 2009 to the end of March 2010. Maybe that 3D issue wasn't as profitable as The Bunny had hoped? more ›

The state's unemployment rate rose in December, up to 11.1 percent and well over the 7.2 percent rate from December 2008. IDES Director Maureen O’Donnell said, “The statewide unemployment rate reflects persistent weakness in national job growth as our country wrestles toward economic recovery. Given the depth of this recession, consistent and sustained job creation must occur at the national level before it can be expected in Illinois.” Overall, over 16,000 jobs were cut across the state, the 23rd straight month of job loss in Illinois. Though if you can manage to find work, the city is home to 11 of Fortune magazine's top 100 companies to work for. more ›

Even though some reports are painting the slight dip in the unemployment rate rosier than others, the Chicago Metro area still could be in for even tougher times. Manpower, one of the largest employment services companies, released their quarterly employment outlook survey yesterday, predicting slow hiring in the first quarter of 2010. more ›

The US Department of Labor released the national unemployment numbers today, showing a slight dip in the amount of jobs lost, from 10.2% to 10%. That translates to near 11,000 jobs lost, which was fewer than projected. President Obama appeared optimistic, saying, “Overall, this is the best jobs report we’ve seen since 2007.". Unfortunately, parts of Illinois fair worse than the national average. Rockford is among 15 cities nationwide with an unemployment rate over 15%, with 4,400 fewer jobs than last year. California has the hardest hit metropolitan areas, with nine major cities that have jobless rates above 15%. more ›

Adding to yesterday’s economic news of jobs leaving to the economy, oil prices reaching new highs, and the Dow dropping 400 points, hometown airline United announced they have reached a buy-out agreement with their flight attendants. more ›