The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the October unemployment numbers and, unfortunately, they are worse than expected. The unemployment rate rose .4% over last month to 10.2% — the highest it’s been in 26 years. Economists had predicted the rate would hit 9.9%. Also in October, 190,000 jobs were lost, putting the nation’s total number of out of work people at 15.7 million. Of these, one-third or 5.6 million have been out of work for more than six months. The greatest losses were seen in the construction, manufacturing and retail sectors. 40,000 retail jobs were cut &#...

According to the job placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., the annual holiday hiring outlook “might improve slightly over last year, but only because 2008 saw the lowest seasonal employment growth in nearly 20 years.” Retail spending has gone up slightly over the past three months, which may signal to retailers that consumers will spend more freely this holiday season. If the sale growth trend continues into the holiday season, it “could boost seasonal hiring above last year’s meager activity,” said John Challenger, chief executive of the placement...

Are you currently looking for a job? Maybe you can’t find a full-time job in your field. Maybe you are a college student need a seasonal job during the summer or over winter break. Have you considered working in retail? Retail jobs are not the most glamorous, nor do they pay top dollars. And the hours aren’t the greatest either (think: nights and weekends). The advantages of a retail job, however, are that they are readily available — yes, even in this economy. And with night or weekend shifts, you will still have plenty of time to go on interviews and send off resumes for...

With many of the big companies announcing even more layoffs, here is a piece of good news: Fortune Magazine and CNN Money say there are dozens of Fortune 100 companies hiring people for new retail positions. Some places to look for retail employment opportunities in this bad economy include: Walmart – The Arkansas-based company, which is number 2 on the Fortune 100 list, needs to hire thousands of store managers, human resource managers, pharmacists, customer service associates and cashiers. Lowes – #47 on the Fortune 100 list, this North Carolina company is looking to hire 7,900 n...

My local paper ran a story in the Sunday edition about job hunting during the holiday season. It got me thinking.  Their job expert said good job hunters know that there is no such thing as a holiday break when you are looking for a job.  She suggested that there are two reasons for the full throttle approach to job hunting during the holidays: * Companies that are planning to hire in January (and there are still some of them) have already allocated the funds for the new employee’s salary — which means, they are interviewing and making job offers NOW. * A lot of job hunters ta...

Jobs in the retail industry: The hours are long, the pay isn’t top dollar and the work is physically demanding. When you put it that way, it’s a wonder anyone works retail. However, working in the retail industry also has a host of advantages: jobs are readily available, advancement opportunities abound and most come with attractive discounts and other benefits. Whether you want to earn some extra money during summer break, help your family through a particularly lean time by working extra hours, or make a career in marketing and merchandising, JobMonkey’s retail employment s...