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Finding jobs in Illinois became more difficult in May, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The state’s unemployment rose 0.7 percent from April’s 9.4 percent to 10.1 percent. Currently the state’s jobless rate is the highest it’s been in 25 years.

Not only is this rate higher than the national average of 9.4 percent, it is also significantly higher than the state’s jobless rate was during the same month last year. In May of 2008 only 6.4 percent of Illinois residents were unable to find work.

According to the State Department of Employment Security, Illinois lost 17,400 jobs in May. This was the 8th consecutive month the state reported a decline in jobs. Since the beginning of the recession Illinois employers have done away with 290,800 positions.

Currently there are approximately 671,400 unemployment people in the state.

In May the industry lost the most positions was the manufacturing sector. Business in this area of employment did away with 9,500 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities followed, losing a total of 5,300 positions. The Government sector saw the loss of 2,900 jobs during the month.

Only two industries in Illinois reported job growth in May; leisure and hospitality and education and health services. The first gained 6,900 jobs as a result of employers getting ready for summer. The latter added 400 jobs and continues to be the only relatively recession proof industry.

Over the course of the last 12 months there has been a 4.6 percent decline in total non-farm employment throughout the state, according to BLS data. The industry that reported the largest year-over-year losses in Illinois was the construction sector, where employers now offer 13.7 percent fewer jobs than they did in May of 2008. Manufacturing also lost over 10 percent of its jobs in the last year. Employment in this industry is now down by 11.9 percent.

Only three industries in the state reported year-over-year job gains; education and health services, government, and mining and logging. The first of which reported a 0.7 percent increase in the last 12 months. The government sector saw a 0.3 percent increase over course of the last year, while mining and logging increased employment by 2 percent.

One department that helps the unemployed is creating some Rhode Island jobs of its own.

The state Department of Labor and Training recently announced that it plans to hire 19 new workers at its netWORKri One-Stop Career Centers. Salaries for the new positions will range from $35,438 for a senior employment and training interviewer to $39,838 for a business service specialist.

The limited-period positions, which are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will last at least through October 2010, will help the department provide a variety of workforce development services to job seekers and employers.

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Finding jobs in Nevada became more difficult during May, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Unemployment in the state climbed 0.7 percent from April’s 10.6 percent to 11.3 percent. This is the highest joblessness has been in Nevada since this data started being recorded in 1976, according to the State Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

BLS data shows that the state’s jobless rate was only 6.1 percent during the same month of 2008, which is a significant increase in 12 months time. On top of this, Nevada’s unemployment rate continued to be considerably higher than the national average of 9.4 percent.

During May approximately 158,500 people were looking for Nevada jobs. This is an increase of 10,400 newly unemployed workers from the previous month.

Last month leisure, hospitality and casino sector increased by 800 positions. This could have something to do with the job situation improving in other areas, which in turn enabled more individuals to travel to Nevada. Other industries that saw an increase in hiring included business services manufacturing, which gained 500 and 100 new jobs respectively.

Employment in the state’s education and health services sector decreased by 400 jobs, which is somewhat surprising considering this industry was previously thought to be recession proof. Other industries that posted job losses included construction and the government sector, which lost 200 and 100 positions each.

Statewide the number of jobs has fallen 6.1 percent during the last 12 months. The largest declines noted by the BLS for this time period occurred in the construction industry, which has seen a 20.3 percent decline in the last year. This translates to a loss of 25,300 positions. With fewer people unable to purchase homes, the need for new construction projects has fallen drastically. On top of this, there have been issues that have caused several casino projects to have to post-pone finishing their structures.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Maryland’s unemployment rate rose once again in May. The 0.4 percent increase took the figure from April 6.8 percent to 7.2 percent, which means that more people struggled to find jobs in Maryland during the month. Currently the unemployment rate is the highest the state has seen since July of 1983, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Joblessness in the area remains significantly lower than the national average of 9.4 percent, regardless of this increase. Despite this, the figure is somewhat disheartening when compared to that of last May. During the same month in 2008 only 4.1 percent of the state’s population was unable to find work.

The rise in unemployment means that more than 212,000 people in the state are currently looking for work. This means that the number of individuals collecting jobless benefits went up by approximately 25,000 claimants between the end of April and May. During the month 2.7 million people were employed in the state.

Jobs in Maryland have fallen by 2.5 percent during the last 12 months. The largest losses experienced have been seen in the mining, logging and construction sector. During the last year, this industry has seen a 15.1 percent decrease in employment. The negative effects of the housing market crisis on the need for construction workers has caused much of this.

Only two areas of employment have posted an increased number of jobs during the last 12 months. Due to the necessity of many of the services provided by the education and health sector, employers in this industry have been able to provide 2.3 percent more jobs this year.

The government sector was the only other area where an increase in employment was reported. Over the course of the last year there has been a 1.1 percent increase in these jobs. This is likely due positions being created in or near the nation’s capital and the fact that the Census Bureau has been hiring for its next survey.

With the economy suffering across the country, many people lack the ability to spend money on necessary goods. Because of this, many retailers have had to cut jobs in order to keep their profit margins up. Throughout the nation there has been a decline in the number of people employed by this industry.

Despite this, one large-scale retailer is actually benefiting from the rest of the country’s need to tighten their belts. Wal-Mart’s already loyal customer basis has grown as people search for a way to save money wherever they can, which means the company needs to hire new workers so that they can expand. This means new positions, including 1,300 jobs in Florida, according to a recent press release put out by the company.

Wal-Mart announced last October that the company hopes to open somewhere between 142 and 157 new or expanded stores throughout the country before the end of the 2010 fiscal year. As part of this plan, the company will have to hire a large number of new workers.

“During this difficult economic time, we’re proud to be able to create quality jobs for thousands of Americans this year,” said Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.’s vice chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright in the release. “At Walmart, we offer competitive pay and benefits and real opportunities for our associates to advance and build careers. Job creation is just one way in which we’re working hard every day to help people across this country live better.”

In order to run these new or expanded locations, Wal-mart says it will have to hire 22,000 new workers. Of these positions the company expects to create 1,500 in Michigan. Another 1,300 are planned for both Arizona and Florida. Stores in New Jersey and Utah will each receive 1,200 new jobs. Another 1,100 job seekers in Virginia will be hired for new positions. Several other states will see the creation of another 1,000 jobs individually including: California and South Carolina. The company has not yet released where the remaining jobs will be created.

Positions the company will be hiring for are varied. According to the press release they include: store management, pharmacists, human resource managers, customer service associates, cashiers, sales associates and several other jobs.

Many of the positions, both full-time and part-time, come with benefits including: healthcare, profit sharing, 401 (k) contributions, stock purchase plan and an employee discount on merchandise sold at Wal-Mart. Even those who did not contribute to their own 401 (k) and profit sharing plans in 2008 still received 4 percent of their income placed in to these accounts from the company, as long as the employee had been with Wal-Mart for a year, according to the press release

Those interested in working for this company should check out it’s website or visit a nearby store’s career portal, which is usually located in the customer service area

Since so many people are currently unemployment, businesses across the nation are finding themselves overwhelmed by the huge number of resumes they receive for each available job listing they post online. Weeding out candidates can be difficult without some form of hiring assessment, which can explain why many companies providing these employee tests continue to extend their services.

According to a recent press release, SurePayroll has just launched its pre-employment screening services geared toward assisting small businesses in assessing potential new hires. Amongst these services are background checks, behavioral assessments, skills testing, personal development tests and drug screening. All of SurePayroll’s products will be available to small business owners with out the necessity of a long-term contract.

Since many smaller companies don’t have the budget to pay for a year’s worth of these products, offering such services without a contract makes perfect sense. Businesses with fewer employees tend to only need hiring assessments and pre-employment screening when they have a position they are trying to fill, meaning that their need is only temporary. Because of this, a large percentage of said companies would skip using these products altogether if they were not offered in this or a similar fashion.

“Small business employers can’t afford mistakes when it comes to the health of their businesses, so it’s essential for them to know the people they bring to their teams are top-notch and will contribute to growth and success, and not waste time and money,” said SurePayroll’s Vice President of Product Management Steve Kania in the recent release. “We designed our screening services to provide businesses thorough, affordable ways to recruit only the best talent and avoid costly hiring mistakes. And we’ve made them convenient to access and use whenever small businesses need them.”

The price of SurePayroll’s product depends on the type of employment testing needed, but some services start as low as $21.95.

Finding jobs in Chicago became more difficult in April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the month the metro area’s jobless rate climbed 0.6 percent from March’s 9.3 percent jobless rate to 9.9 percent. This is particularly significant when compared to the unemployment rate of the same month in 2008. A year ago only 5.4 percent of the metro area’s resident’s were without work. Crain’s Chicago Business News says that this is the highest unemployment rate the metro area has seen since January of 1984.

According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), the city itself, excluding the areas that make up the metro, had an even higher jobless rate in April. During the month 10.6 percent of people were unable to find Chicago jobs. Back in April of last year only 6 percent of residents were unemployed. IDES statistics show that there are now 171,300 fewer people in the area with jobs than there were in 2008.

During the same month, the Illinois jobless rate climbed 0.4 percent from 9.0 percent to 9.4 percent. In April the country’s unemployment rate also climbed 0.4 percent, going from 8.5 percent to 8.9 percent. In the same month, a year ago, only 5.0 percent of the country was without work.

Chicago’s current jobless rate shows that the area is suffering worse from the economic recession than many other areas in the country. Like in many other cities, Chicago’s manufacturing sector has been hit hard. Since many people are out of work, they lack the money purchase as many manufactured goods, which means the companies responsible for making them are having to cut jobs in order to keep their profit margins up. Another industry that is responsible for a lot of the jobs lost in Chicago is the professional and business services sector.

Despite the fact that several sectors are having problems, one area of employment in Chicago continues to be strong. Due to the necessity of many of the services it provides, healthcare jobs remain relatively steady.

During the month of March Arizona’s unemployment rate rose 0.4 percent to 7.8 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure is up 3.1 percent from last March’s 4.7 percent. Now the State Department of Commerce says that over 100,000 jobs in Arizona will be lost in the next few years.

According to the Department’s 2009-2010 Forecast, employers will do away with approximately 167,800 by the end of 2010. This signifies a 6.4 percent decrease in employment in the state.

The Department believes that the majority of the positions will be lost during 2009. Before the end of this year Nevada employers are expected to cut 146,000 jobs, which is a 5.6 percent decrease. In 2010 the Department projects that 21,600 positions will be done away with, a 0.9 percent decline.

“This is why dramatic action is necessary to fix the economy,” said Governor Jan Brewer said in a recent press release. “The inevitable layoffs by companies’ means continued downward pressure on the state economy. We have to face the reality - this is a problem that requires a multi-year fix to secure the future of Arizona. ”

Although the recession is hitting most of the country, the rest of the nation is not expected to experience quite as devastating of a loss of jobs. According to IHS Global Insight, national nonfarm jobs will fall by a total of 4.4 percent during the next two years. In 2009 there will be 3.6 percent decline, while 2010 will see a 0.8 percent decrease.

“The economic downturn has spread beyond the borders of Arizona and the rest of the nation and is impacting the global economy,” said Department Senior Economist Jack York in the release. “The global scope of this recession is a rare event in world economic history. The decline in export markets and lending practices will make recovery more difficult.”

Many experts believe that the economy won’t begin to recover from the recession until 2011. This means that there could be another small decline in Arizona jobs before the employment market begins to set itself right and companies begin creating new positions in the state.

During the last year, financial jobs have become more difficult to find. With many banks slashing workers in an effort to cut costs and make up for money lost through defaulted loans, the industry hasn’t been performing at its best. Credit card companies have been hit particularly hard.

Since many people have been laid off as a result of the national recession, many can’t afford to make their payments, which has left these companies holding the bill. Now one such creditor has announced that it will be cutting jobs in Virginia in an effort to save money.

According to a recent press release, Capital One Financial Corp. will be doing away with a total of 58 employees. Of these cuts, 42 Virginia job will be lost at the company’s facility in Goochland County. The remaining 16 positions will be done away with at Capital One’s headquarters, according to company spokesperson Julie Rakes. All of those who will be effected have already been informed.

Layoffs are expected to effect mainly workers that are responsible for the marketing, acquisition and servicing of credit card accounts, according to the press release.

Rakes went on to say that all of the employees who will be affected will be given 60 days from May 4th to find other jobs with the company or elsewhere. During this period, full-time employees will continue to receive their full benefits. These individuals will also be eligible for severance packages.

Those who do pursue jobs within the company will receive career planning assistance. Workers who seek employment elsewhere will be offered outplacement services.

“The changes support the company’s continued focus on managing costs and operating efficiently,” said Rakes

Capital One is currently one of the largest employers in the Richmond Virginia area, employing approximately 6,700 workers as of January 1st of this year.

One side effect of a national recession is that many people lack the money to buy unnecessary consumer goods, such as extra clothing or electronics. This is turn has an affect on the company’s that provide these products. As a result, their profits take a nosedive, often causing them to layoff workers in order to cut expenses. For these reasons, one clothing manufacture recently announced that it will be doing away with jobs in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

According to a press release put out by Hanesbrands Inc. on April 27th, the company will be doing away with a total of 500 employees throughout its organization. Job cuts will occur at both the company’s corporate management offices and its U.S. distribution centers.

Around 250 of the management employees who will be losing their jobs will be informed of such before the end of this week. Approximately 200 of these cuts will come from the Winston-Salem jobs that Hanes provides. Another 30 positions will be lost elsewhere in the U.S., while 20 employees from the company’s global workforce will lose their jobs.

As far as the company’s distribution operations go, Hanes will be laying off 40 employees immediately from its Winston-Salem distribution center, which is located on Annapolis Drive. These cuts come as a result of a reduced product volume and are part of the company’s effort to close the center by the end of March 2010. In the end, another 200 North Carolina jobs will be lost. Altogether that’s a total of 440 jobs lost in Winston-Salem between now and next March.

Currently, Hanes is in the process of terminating its contract with a third-party that operates a distribution center in Jacksonville, Florida. Approximately 10 of the company’s employees will be laid off there between now and March 2010.

All of the employees that will be affected by the layoffs are expected to receive both severance packaged and outplacement benefits.

In order to do this, products distributed at the Winston-Salem and Jacksonville facilities will be handled by centers in Martinsville, Virginia and Perris, California. The company feels that operating fewer large centers of distribution will increase its efficiency.

According to Hanes report of the first quarter of this year, sales are down by 13 percent in comparison to last year. This means that expenses have to be reduced in order for the company to remain profitable.

“In the face of reduced consumer spending, we must manage conservatively and tightly control costs, including making the difficult decision to lay off employees during this bleak economy,” said Hanes executive vice president of human resources Kevin W. Oliver in a recent press release. “We regret losing talented employees and will miss their commitment and professionalism. We will try to do everything that we can to assist in their transition.”

Prior to the layoffs, Hanesbrands employed around 3,000 people in Forsyth County and had a worldwide workforce of about 43,000. The company believes that the expenses related to restructuring their organization will end up being somewhere around $15 million, most of which will happen in the second quart of 2009.