During December the unemployment rate in Chicago rose to 7 percent. Although this was slightly lower than the holiday season’s national average of 7.2 percent, it was still a jump from November’s 6.3 percent. It was also a significant increase from last years 4.9 percent joblessness, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). All of this goes to show that finding jobs in Chicago has gotten more difficult recently. The state’s unemployment rate for December was 7.6 percent.
December also marked the 20th consecutive month that all 12 metropolitan areas in state saw an increase in joblessness. The Illinois cities with the highest unemployment were Rockford, where 12.5 percent of residents were without work, and Kankakee-Bradley, with a jobless rate of 10.5 percent.
“This national economic downturn has created challenges across Illinois,” said Maureen O’Donnel, who is the director of the IDES. “We continue to evaluate how best to help in these difficult times.”