Chicago Unemployment Up, Down In Other Illinois Areas

CHICAGO — Unemployment dropped in five of Illinois' 12 metro areas and increased in five others during December when compared to a year earlier.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday in its monthly report on metro unemployment that one of the biggest increases was in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville area where the rate jumped from 8.6 to 9.3 percent. That increase was matched in the Illinois section of the St. Louis area where unemployment rose from 9 to 9.7 percent.

The biggest decrease was in the Peoria area. Unemployment there dropped from 8.7 to 8.1 percent.

Seven of the 12 metro areas added jobs in December. Manufacturing was a key driver, increasing in nine metro areas.

The department said last week that the state's overall unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in December.