Baltimore Retail Jobs Created by Kohl's

A well-known department store is planning to create hundreds of Baltimore retail jobs.

Kohl's Department Stores recently announced its plan to add up to 280 jobs in the greater Baltimore area. This move is a result of the store's plan to open two new locations this spring, including one in Annapolis and one in Middle River.

The Annapolis store will be located in the Annapolis Towne Center, while the Middle River store will be located at the Martin Plaza Shopping Center, with both locations slated to open in March. According to an article by the Baltimore Business Journal, about 150 new positions will be needed in Annapolis and about 130 will be needed in Middle River.

Hourly positions will be available for employees in customer service, department service, cash register operation, early morning stocking, truck unloading, housekeeping and evening signage and pricing updates.

New hires can expect to receive a full Kohl's benefits package, including health insurance, a 401(k) plan, employee stock ownership and merchandise discounts. The company is planning to host job fairs during the week of January 11 to find new employees.

Interviews for the Annapolis location will take place January 10 through January 14 at the Double Tree in Annapolis. Interviews for the Middle River location will take place through January 15 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Baltimore.

Wisconsin-based Kohl's currently has eight stores throughout the greater Baltimore area and its annual sales exceed $16 billion.

The Baltimore area could certainly benefit from the additional jobs. Although the city's unemployment rate has remained relatively low, jobs have been lost on a monthly and yearly basis as of late.

During November 2009, the Baltimore-Towson area's unemployment rate remained at 7.7 percent, following an increase from 7.5 percent during October. This places the city's current rate below the national unemployment rate of 10 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 1,286,700 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,288,300 workers during October and a 2 percent decrease from November 2008.