Mall retailers looking for seasonal help
With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, retailers at Orland Square Mall will be taking part in a jobs fair on Saturday.
So far, 17 stores at the Orland Park mall, 151st Street and LaGrange Road, are participating, with applications being handed out at the upper level court. The fair will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Applicants also can apply online, in the store or on smart phones. Interested applicants are encouraged to dress professionally and bring copies of their resume.
Retailers taking part include Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, Apple, Eddie Bauer, Gymboree, Hallmark, Hollister, JCPenney, Lego and White Barn Candle.
Stores are seeking both partand full-time employees for the holiday season, and overall are looking to fill roughly 50 to 60 positions, according to a mall spokesman.
While job applications will be handed out in the Upper Level Court, applicants will need to visit retailers individually to drop off completed applications, and retailers plan to interview job candidates during the hiring event, according to the mall.
For a complete list of stores hiring and more information, go to www.simon.com/mall/ orland-square.
The holiday season represents a good opportunity for job seekers, as a solid economy and high consumer confidence have retailers optimistic about strong sales, which will translate into more job opportunities, according to Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
“This holiday season will be a good time for workers who have had trouble finding employment or those who are discouraged or marginally attached to the labor force, as retail, transport and warehousing jobs will be plentiful,” Andrew Challenger, the firm's vice president, said in a recent holiday hiring forecast.
With a tight labor market, “retailers will have to offer competitive compensation or other perks to attract workers” to staff stores during the holidays, Challenger said.
In July, the most recent data available, the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Chicago metro area was 4.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent in July 2017, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
The Chicago region posted the largest year-over-year jobless rate drop.
Challenger noted that seasonal job opportunities won't just be in brick and mortar stores.