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News
Out of work in Kendall Co.? You are not alone : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisOut of work in Kendall Co.? You are not alone
| Unemployed here top state, national averages; 1,425 without jobs in Oswego
| by Matt Schury
| 2/4/2010
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Kendall County's unemployment rate last December remained higher than both the state and national averages, according to figures release by the Illinois Department of Employment Security's (IDES) last week.
The unemployment rate for the county jumped to 11.1 percent during the last month of 2009; a 4.2 percent increase from December 2008. Last year the county had 6,239 unemployed residents out of a labor force of 56,076; the 43rd highest among Illinois' 102 counties.
Comparatively, during December 2008 the unemployment rate was 7.4 percent and Kendall County had the 78th highest unemployment rate.
Nationwide the unemployment was 9.7 last December, an increase of 2.6 percent from the same time in 2008. Statewide the unemployment rate for Illinois was 10.8 in December 2009, a 3.4 percent increase from the same time last year.
Oswego had a labor force of 16,038 with 1,425 people unemployed and an unemployment rate of 8.9 for December 2009. The previous December (2008) Oswego had an unemployment rate of 5.6 percent. The village had 1,425 unemployed with a labor force of 16,038. In 2009, Oswego had an average unemployment rate of 8.9 in 2009. The highest month for unemployment in Oswego was June when the rate was 10.8 and about 1,800 people were out of work.
Meanwhile, the county hit its highest unemployment rate of the year in July when the rate was 12.1 percent and 7,000 people were unemployed. The county had an average unemployment rate of 10.5 percent in 2009.
Greg Rivara, IDES spokesman, says while some economists are suggesting the recession has ended, the number of unemployed in Illinois speaks for itself.
"The unemployment rate is only one figure to look at when looking at all of the data that makes up the mosaic that paints the picture of the national economy," he said.
Rivara added that many jobs that have been lost are in the manufacturing and construction industries as well retail areas.
Rivara called the unemployment data "a lagging indicator" and said that it doesn't necessarily make any predications.
"Illinois tends to follow the nation when we talk about the unemployment rate," he said.
Economists have suggested that adding people who have stopped looking for work would push the unemployment rate even higher.
Rivara affirmed was that the IDES data does not reflect the number of people who have stopped looking for work in the county.
"Is there a segment that doesn't believe they are going to find any work because they are discouraged? There absolutely is," he said.
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