Illinois job losses: 546 layoffs announced in coming months

Illinois continues to shed jobs. The state lost 3,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in December. Now, Illinois is poised to lose an additional 546 jobs from five companies in the next few months, according to the state’s January Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN report. Chicago-based Specialty Foods Group Inc., a meat wholesaler that makes...

Illinois continues to shed jobs.

The state lost 3,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in December.

Now, Illinois is poised to lose an additional 546 jobs from five companies in the next few months, according to the state’s January Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN report.

Chicago-based Specialty Foods Group Inc., a meat wholesaler that makes Nathan’s Famous hotdogs and other products, announced 250 layoffs.

Chicago-based health maintenance organization Harmony Health Plan of Illinois announced it will lay off 105 employees, and J.C. Penney announced it will lay off 127 workers. Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope will lay off 64 employees.

Not included in the 546 announced layoffs was OfficeMax Inc., which is listed in the January WARN report but did not include official layoff count is included. Naperville-based OfficeMax Inc. and Office Depot Inc., based in Boca Raton, Fla., merged in late 2013, and the company announced recently that its headquarters will be in Florida – not Illinois.