Chicago Public Library branches reopen Monday afternoons starting tomorrow, the man pulled from the Lake today has died, and other news. more ›

Although the economy is still much in its recovery phase, the unemployment level in the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet area dropped to 8.6 percent in December. While Chicago Business reports that overall unemployment declined to 8.8 percent in Illinois, the official report from the Illinois Department of Economic Security indicates that the level of unemployment is currently at 9.3 percent. Whatever the state-wide unemployment level is, the unemployment rate is on a declining trend. 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 ›

The economy may be in the early stages of a slow turn-around (right? RIGHT?), but state unemployment crept up ever so slightly in March. The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 11.5 percent for last month, up from 11.4 percent in February. If there's a silver lining, it's that 3,000 more jobs were added in March, the third straight month of job increases. [Crain's] more ›

Economic news might be looking upward for Illinois for the first time in a few months. According to a survey by the staffing firm Manpower, who regularly releases such surveys, 18 percent of companies in the greater Chicago area are planning to take on more employees next quarter, and increase of 10 percent over the first quarter of the year. With only 3 percent of companies surveyed planning on cutting jobs (as compared to 16 percent in the first quarter of the year), this is a net gain of 15%. The strongest job prospects appear in industries like construction and durable goods manufacturing, while employers in government plan to cut jobs. Overall, 75 percent plan to maintain their current level of employment, continuing a small upward trend. more ›

Shadowing the state's unemployment rate for December 2009, the unemployment rate in metro Chicago inched up as well, reaching 10.6 percent. The "seasonally unadjusted" rate is down from the 26-year high of 11.3 percent from June 2009 but is still up slightly from November 2009's 10.3 percent. According to Crain's: more ›

There may be a little gleam of sunshine poking through the gloom of the current recession if the latest unemployment numbers are to be believed. While unemployment throughout the state inched up last month, based on numbers from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the city of Chicago's July jobless rate actually dropped to 10.7 percent, down from 11.3 percent in June. Granted, that's like saying the flood waters just receded from 10 feet to 8 feet and it's still well ahead of the national average of 9.4 percent, but - hey - progress! Illinois is likely to be slower to see those numbers drop compared to the rest of the nation, according to IDES Director Maureen O’Donnell: “The country felt the pain of this recession many months before it was felt in Illinois, and it is likely that the same pattern will hold true as the economy recovers." [Crain's] more ›

Unemployment took another big jump locally in February. The unemployment rate for the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet area stood at 8.1 percent in January but hit 9 percent in February, the highest monthly rate since June 1992. According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, 126,400 jobs have been lost in the area since February 2008. The area is also one of eight metro areas around the state who have higher jobless rates than the Midwest regional average of 8.6 percent, which itself is second in the nation. [Crain's] more ›