Walgreens to cut 270 jobs in Illinois

Walgreens’ 270-person layoffs are the latest in a series of corporate job losses in Illinois.

On Aug. 17, Walgreens Boots Alliance acknowledged plans to cut 270 jobs from its Deerfield, Illinois, headquarters and other offices in Bannockburn, Lincolnshire and Northbrook, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The Illinois layoffs will be in management and corporate support positions, particularly information technology. Walgreens employs approximately 23,000 people in Illinois, including 4,000 workers in the Chicago area. The layoffs will result in 6 percent of local Walgreens employees losing their jobs.

The Walgreens layoffs are part of an effort to reduce the company’s U.S. workforce; an additional 100 layoffs will take place at other Walgreens locations in 20 different states. Walgreens is implementing these job cuts as part of a plan to achieve $1.5 billion in cost savings over three years in the wake of the company’s acquisition of European pharmacy retailer Alliance Boots in December 2014.

Walgreens’ corporate downsizing is only the latest bad news for Illinois’ employment outlook. Already this August, The Kraft Heinz Co. announced 700-person layoffs at its Northfield headquarters, and Motorola Mobility cut 500 jobs at its Chicago offices.

In the wake of continued layoff announcements, Illinois must do everything possible to make its business climate hospitable for employers. With companies seeking to trim costs wherever they can, the state cannot afford to continue making it prohibitively expensive for companies to do business here.