For those looking for work, the worker shortage in the United States could
be opportunity to find a starting opportunity as some employers are really
interested in finding and retaining help well past the Christmas season as
the article below describes.

kelly

The Chicago Sun Times


Holiday workers call the shots

   December 7, 1999

   BY MARK SKERTIC SUBURBAN REPORTER

   Temporary holiday workers are successfully demanding higher wages,
   signing bonuses, weekends off and deep discounts on merchandise.

   They're getting all that and more.

   Seasonal employees, people who not so long ago considered themselves
   lucky to find a temporary job and make a little Christmas cash, are
   calling their own shots this year.

   "It was real easy [getting a job]," said Corey Smith, 22, a student at
   College of Lake County who works at Spencer Gifts at Hawthorn Center
   in Vernon Hills. "I'll do about 33 hours this week and could have
   gotten more."

   Retailers can't afford to say no. A robust economy has made people
   willing to work just during the holiday season as valuable a commodity
   as Furby was last Christmas.

   "It's not really hard to find a job," said Tina Garcia, 19, a North
   Sider who is working at the Container Store, 908 W. North Ave. "If
   you're looking, you can find one."

   Garcia turned down a major department store's $7 an hour offer. The
   Container store is paying her $9 an hour and offered flexible hours,
   something she needs while juggling classes at the Illinois Institute
   of Art. And she's eligible for the store's 40 percent employee
   discount.

   Clearly, a boss like Ebenezer Scrooge would never survive in today's
   economy.

   "This is a phenomenon being seen in every nook and cranny in the
   country," said Kurt Barnard, who publishes the New Jersey-based
   Barnard's Retail Trend Report. "When you have an unemployment rate of
   4 percent, it doesn't take a genius to know what's going to happen to
   hiring at Christmas."

   Retailers saw this problem looming a year ago. Some began hiring
   early, as far back as September, just to handle the holiday rush. Many
   post "help wanted" signs in stores and pay full-timers bonuses for
   bringing in successful applicants.

   "When it gets to be mid-November, early December, you're in trouble if
   you don't have all your [sales] people in place," said John A.
   Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a Chicago-based
   outplacement firm.

   A relatively healthy economy over the last several years has taught
   retailers that applicants might not be lining up for jobs. "At
   Christmas, when you're seeing the most foot traffic you have all year,
   you don't have any choice," said Peter Gill, spokesman for the
   Illinois Retail Managers Association. "You need to hire these people."

   UPS held free concerts in the fall to bring in applicants. Target
   installed job kiosks so shoppers could apply while visiting a store.
   Sears added information to its credit card bills in hopes of
   attracting applicants.

   "Essentially, we were targeting customers," said Peggy Palter, a Sears
   spokeswoman. "We had to hire people who didn't know they wanted a
   job."

   Big department stores reach out to former employees interested in
   coming back for a few weeks, hold job fairs and post signs in their
   stores. They also offer discounts on everything from formal wear to
   Barbie clothes.

   "We have a good, competitive package that includes our discount, which
   people really like at this time of year," Marshall Field's spokeswoman
   Lynne Galia said.

   UPS, which increases its work force up to 10 percent around Christmas,
   has had to be innovative, said Mike Johl, spokesman at the Hodgkins
   offices. To attract workers, UPS has discounted bus passes by 40
   percent, provided bonuses of $100 and tuition loans for part-timers.

   "Years ago, it was good enough to put out a shingle, say we're open,
   and people would come to you," Johl said. "Now, you have to offer
   incentives and go out and recruit."

   It's a constant challenge for employers, said Elizabeth Barrett, vice
   president of operations for the Dallas-based Container Store.
   Temporary employees at the stores make $9 to $12 an hour, depending on
   the position. It's worth offering more and finding the right people,
   she said.

   "It's easy to fall into the trap of hiring the first 20 people who
   walk in the door," she said. "That's a mistake many retailers make."

   Contributing: David Southwell

   ***

   A BUNDLE OF BENEFITS

   Temporary employees have asked for a lot this Christmas--and are
   getting it. Here are some of the benefits many are receiving:

   * Pay that ranges from $8 to $12 an hour, substantially above the
   minimum wage of $5.15 an hour.

   * Cash bonuses of $100 or more when hired or after working a specified
   number of weeks.

   * Discounts ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent on store
   merchandise. In some cases, discounts are extended to other chains
   owned by the same company.

   * Flexible hours and often no weekends.

   * Access to employee-only shopping days when special bargains are
   available after hours.


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