Due to “falling unemployment rates and steady economic growth,” those collecting benefits for more than 79 weeks will lose them. more ›

Statewide unemployment is back into the single digits for the first August in two years, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The unemployment rate trickled downward in 9 out of 12 major metropolitan areas in the state, bringing the statewide total to 9.9 percent. The Rockford area has the highest rate, at 14.5 percent while Bloomington-Normal and Springfield have the lowest at 7.9 percent. Chicago’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to 9.7 percent from 10.1 percent. more ›

Last year at this time, the state's unemployment rate was 6.7 percent. As of September, the jobless rate in Illinois has already increased to 10.5 percent, after dropping slightly down to 10 percent in August, according to statistics that were released on Friday. The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported that the three-month unemployment average rose 0.1 percent to 10.3 percent, marking its highest level since December 1983. In comparison to the entire county, the U.S. jobless rate rose to 9.8 percent in September, from 9.7 percent in August, also the highest since 1983. more ›

Today the U.S. Department of Labor released a report showing that the national unemployment rate reached 7.2 percent in December, the highest since 1993. Illinois' unemployment was 7.3 percent in November, and the state has consistently held a higher unemployment rate than the nation's average. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will release a report on December's statistics on January 23. In December, IDES reported that unemployment rates were surging in all Illinois cities. They recorded unemployment in November 2008 at 6.3 percent for Chicagoland, compared with 4.6 percent in November 2007. more ›