Unemployment climbed again in January

By Nate Legue

BusinessRockford.com

The job economy in the Rock River Valley continued its six-month slump in January as manufacturing jobs declined and more job seekers entered the work force.

The monthly unemployment rate in Winnebago and Boone counties climbed to 8.5 percent, up from 6.6 percent in January 2007, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

At the same time, the number of jobs in the service industry was up by 1,900 positions compared to a year ago, but that wasn’t enough for the nearly 3,000 people entering the work force to look for jobs.

Since the fall, monthly unemployment in Winnebago and Boone counties has been up at least a percentage point when compared with the same month a year before. In October, local joblessness nearly doubled thanks to a temporary shutdown of the Belvidere Chrysler plant. Belvidere was especially hard hit in January, with its unemployment rate reaching 12.5 percent.

“When we look at the manufacturing sector compared to a year ago, that is reflective of what we’re seeing at the national level,” said Tom Austin, labor force analyst for the state. “Locally, we’ve had a difficult winter.”

Staff writer Nate Legue may be reached at 815-987-1346 or nlegue@rrstar.com.

For more information

To see a graph of the jobless rate in Boone and Winnebago counties in the last year, click here.

For a comparison of the unemployment rates around the state, click here.

Loading commenting interface...