Six Hundred Workers Facing Layoffs

(Springfield, IL) -- At least 600 workers in Illinois are about to lose their jobs. Reports indicate that workers in Ottawa, Chicago, Effingham, Dixon, and other cities will get pink slips in the coming months. Eight companies are either shutting their doors or scaling back, including Microsoft and Jim's Formal Wear. The state's unemployment rate has been on a steady decline. This round of layoffs, plus the end of seasonal jobs at the end of the year, could potentially force the numbers in the other direction.