Thousands Apply for Wal-Mart Jobs (4,000 interview for 150 jobs!)

[truthpusher]

this is in Rockford Illinois

http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/1227802.html

Thousands Apply for Wal-Mart Jobs
23 Newsroom

Wal-Mart held a job fair there over the past three days. The first day about 2,700 people applied.

Wednesday, 1,300 job seekers interviewed, and Thursday about 450 people applied. The thousands who do not get hired will have another chance.

Hiring for the new Super Wal-Mart store on East State Street in Rockford will begin in early March. There will be 150 open positions for that store.

http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/1227802.html

[PartyPooper]

1. I guess these jobs will just keep the economy humming along, eh?

:eyes:

[DAGDA56]

So Rockford has 4,000 people out of work? Or, worse...

...4,000 people who think working for WM would be better than the job they have now? Did Rockford lose a major employer recently?

[rooboy]

2. The GOP spin will be that it's because Wal-Mart's such a good employer. nt

[murray hill farm]

3. That says it all, doesnt it?

When a job with Wall-Mart has become so much the best job in town, that thousands compete for that opportunity to work...a sad day for Rockford, Ill...and for the whole country.

[TomClash]

4. There's a war going on

a class war.

[arikara]

5. Yep, 150 minimum wage, part time jobs

will pay for their houses, cars, insurance, gas, fridges, tv's, pharmaceuticals and oh yeah... all that nutritious food to put on their families.

on edit: fix typo

[shrike]

18. Don't forget their health care

Oh, and their retirements, too.

[hollowdweller]

6. In normal times about half of those folks would be enlisting but Wal Mart

is looking a hell of a lot better than the armed forces now for the unemployed even though the army pays more.

[gizmo1979]

7. sad sad times we live in

when wal-mart is a good paying job.

[ramapo]

8. How many applicants have advanced degrees?

Under employment seems to now be a cornerstone of our economy. I am continuously astounded at the resumes I receive for low-level IT jobs from people with Masters and even Doctorates, often in Science or Engineering.

[7th_Sephiroth]

15. i have 2 resume's

one for contract work, with my defence contractor refrences, MCSE, and networking qualifications, and one with my GED for like lowes or something (contract work is hard to come by)

[intheflow]

22. Hey, that's a good idea!

I'm graduating w/a Masters in May, but the jobs I want won't pay doodly-squat, and I'll probably have to get a part-time job. Since my "real" job will be stressful, I'm hoping for something fairly mindless to do in the other job. I like the idea of listing my GED instead of my advanced degree. If they hire me, they'll know about me soon enough, but by then it'll be too late. :evilgrin:

[count_alucard]

9. GOP what a great party!!!!!!

their dream of making America happy while fighting for $4.50 an hour jobs is becoming reality.

Hey let me log off, I gotta run and apply for one of these fabulous jobs myself!

[Broadslidin]

10. No Problem, Everyone Will Be Given A Chance For A job At Wal-Mart.!

Well Known throughout the retail industry,
The yearly employee turn over rate at
"good jobs" Wal-Mart stores is 50+%.

[flobee1kenobi]

12. You have to work with the jobs you have

not the jobs you want:eyes:

[elsiesummers]

26. That's a good one, Rummy.

:)

[idlisambar]

11. Video -- NOW -- "Quitting Time? Rockford, Illinois "

What could be causing this high demand for Wal-Mart jobs? :eyes:

"While Wall Street loves replacing American jobs with low-wage workers overseas to reduce costs, increase profits, and boost stock price, today more and more business owners are saying it's a shortsighted strategy for short-term gain. NOW with Bill Moyers gets a unique perspective on the flight of manufacturing jobs out of America and reports on why some business owners believe that shipping jobs overseas is selling America out. David Brancaccio travels to Rockford, IL, a bellwether of the nation's manufacturing economy, and talks to business owners about the 12,000 jobs lost in the area during the recession. "We cannot continue to exploit the low cost labor countries at the expense of our people here state side," says Rockford business owner Matt Bortoli. "This is the new terrorist threat as far as I'm concerned."

http://www.pbs.org/now/thisweek/index_050704.html#

[Avalon Sparks]

25. More info here

These small manufacturers are the backbone, not only of Rockford’s economy, but of America’s. The job losses in small manufacturing are the direct result of large corporations moving south of the border and overseas—actions that were made possible by NAFTA and GATT and other trade agreements that those large corporations lobbied for. Those corporations used to rely on small manufacturers, like those here in Rockford, to supply them, but now they prefer local suppliers in foreign countries. It’s going to take a while before the shock waves work their way through the entire economy. By the time they do, Rockford’s current unemployment rate of 11 percent may look like peanuts.

http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/cgi-bin/rockfordfiles.cgi/Economic%20Freedom/Manufacturing/Outsourcing/2004/05/13/The_terror_of_out

I work for a company that sells men's dress shirts. We supply many major US retailers. When I see stuff like this, I think "that is that many more men out of work, that won't be able to buy my company's shirts" I then worry about being downsized.

It's a snowball effect and I'm so tired of the major corporations not giving a crap about the long term effects.

Since I became aware of outsourcing 5 years ago I've been asking the question... "Eventually, who is going to buy the products???"

I once was speaking to a Vice President at "Vanity Fair" who told me they had decided to move their manufacturing from Mexico to Asia because labor was cheaper. He said it was unfortunate, but it was the only way to be able to keep up with their competition. I asked him eventually who would be left to buy a 30 dollar Vanity Fair bra?? He didn't have an answer for me.

I've been saying this for years, that a race to the bottom for wages is a race to the bottom for profits for these corporations, but since it will be a gradual effect and may take another decade, these companies don't care.

I'm so freaking tired of worrying about job stability. I have a good job but at a price - the price of always worrying about losing it in this bullshit economy and the bullshit assistance of the Bush* administration of not curtailing or making it less feasible for companies to outsource.

[Occulus]

28. I just call it what it is

Economic treason.

[scarletlib]

13. shades of the wonderful reagan years when hundreds of job

applicants would be on sidewalk to apply for a job at mcdonalds in inner city. At the same time reagan is lambasting the so called 'welfare queens' for feeding off the public trough. fact is there were no jobs for millions. and now today here we go again.

[hollowdweller]

17. In 1983 I worked at a bakery and we had like 80 people line up for a truck

driver job that paid 4.30 an hour.

[DainBramaged]

14. And another downtown is destroyed

[Just Me]

16. Yikes!!! If that isn't a sign of the death of any "American Dream",...

,...I don't know what would be.

:scared:

These folks take home less than a grand a month. Gets people off welfare and into poverty.

Geez.

[William Bloode]

19. Sounds like where i live.

Every few days it seems theres a factory shutting down, 2 this week. Both of them long time employers in the area. The situation here is very funky.

Before Captain Dumb ass came to power factories were begging people to work. Now a scant 4 yrs later it's almost like a ghost town. We have empty buildings everywhere. Loads of empty houses to. There were tons of houses built, and some still being done that were planned then. No one has the cash to buy these new places, and the jobs are gone so they sit empty to.

Folks are begging for work, or worrying themselves to death that their job is next. And yes, now many people feel lucky if they can get a job at Walmart, or McDonald's, hell anywhere. Whats even worse is most of the low paying jobs are being filled by illegal immigrants, who don't mind working for less money and benefits.

Of course this area went for * all the way during election time.

[intheflow]

20. But the economy's booming!

:grr:

This is why we need a diversified, local economies. Wake up, People!

[abandon_ship]

21. it's that damn fine looking blue apron, baby!!

[llmart]

23. But once we stop all these frivolous lawsuits......

our economy will be booming. Didn't Georgie tell us that last night? The jobs are all disappearing because of those lawsuits.

[AmandaRuth]

24. So you think they will have enough money to invest

in their personal medical savings accounts? I mean, after rent, food, gas, heat, auto insurance, clothing, daycare, and school lunches, and all.....

[bpilgrim]

27. bush's NEW DEAL

say's 'we can get'em a whole lot cheaper south of the border'

http://images.globalfreepress.com

peace

[Robert Oak]

29. let me guess welfare subsidized wal-mart

just moved into an area where it's manufacturing went to China.

This is sick. They must be desperate. Everybody knows Walmart is the worse employer, no benefits or unaffordable premiums, 2 dollars an hour
lower on average...sex discrimination...

and most Walmart workers need to get housing subsidies and food stamps
to make it.

America. Where do you go?

[Melynn]

30. Boycott Wal-Mart!!!!!

They are a truly evil company. I never shop there.

[KayLaw]

31. Interesting

Lots of time, here and elsewhere, you hear, Well, you can always get a job at WalMart. Not necessarily, it seems.

[struggle4progress]

32. Welcome to the Ownership Society. When can I eat?