Free job advice hotline later this month

CHICAGO, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A Chicago outplacement consulting firm is offering two days of free call-in advice for job seekers.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said Friday interested parties may call 312-332-5790 Dec. 27-28 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST.

"The economy and job market have steadily improved over the past 24 months, but finding a job is not necessarily getting any easier," a Challenger spokesman said.

"In fact, a new analysis of government data shows that the average length of unemployment only one week shorter than it was in 2003, when the unemployment rate peaked."