For the second straight month, the unemployment rate in Chicago fell even as the national rate increased from July to August. While still at rates not seen in 20+ years, the seasonally unadjusted jobless rate for the Chicago metro are in August was 9.6 percent, down from 10.7 percent in July. While the total number of unemployed people in the area was still more than 190,000 over August 2008, it's a baby step in the right direction. We hope. more ›

The state's jobless rate is slowing down but it still inched up a bit in July over June. For July, Illinois' jobless rate came in at 10.4 percent, up from 10.3 percent in June, with a total of 13,000 jobs lost. Overall, the nation actually saw the slightest decrease in the national jobless rate, from 9.5 percent in June to 9.4 percent in July. [Crain's] more ›

The jobless rate in the Chicago metro are hit a 26-year high during May. The "seasonally unadjusted" rate hit 10.7 percent in May 2009, the highest the area has seen since August 1983. According to Crain's:

There were 185,900 fewer people employed in the metro area last month compared with the same month in 2008. That figure, the highest among the 12 Illinois metro areas reported, suggests that the recession continues to hamper the local labor market.