Unemployment Rate in Illinois Reaches 7.3%, a 15-Year High; Undeterred, EmploymentCrossing Adds More Jobs

August 25, 2008   |    PDF version

Pasadena, CA — The unemployment rate in Illinois keeps climbing, having scaled past 7.3% last month, the highest it’s been in nearly 15 years. The unemployment rate in Joliet County in Illinois hit 9% in July, according to statistics released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security, a sizeable increase from the rate of 6.5% in July 2007. Fortunately, EmploymentCrossing, one of the leading job boards in the world, was able to post 44,600 jobs last week in Illinois alone, a terrific effort indeed, considering the state’s current job market. The job site is now increasing its own workforce to generate as many job postings as it can in order to relieve the unemployed of their present plight.

''Illinois’ job market is in complete shambles. Many people are coming to our door looking for help finding jobs,'' says Harrison Barnes, the CEO of EmploymentCrossing. ''The construction industry, especially home builders and associated trades, are really being hit hard in Illinois.''

The Employment Security Department says payroll jobs got reduced by 9,700 between June and July, and the number of unemployed people looking for work has climbed for three straight months. Thousands of blue-collar jobs have been lost. The outlook for white-collar jobs is also not bright, as accounting firms and law firms are suffering due to the sliding economy. Employers are cutting back on hiring for part-time jobs, worsening the unemployment situation in Illinois drastically. Since July of 2007, 10,000 construction jobs have been lost, along with 6,000 financial jobs and 5,500 manufacturing jobs.

''The reason for the gloomy outlook is, more than anything else, the distorted picture that the analysts show,'' says Barnes. ''The projections of the real job market have been distorted. True, the economic situation in Illinois is bad, but if the job seeker is alert and quick, he or she is sure to get a job. Though some good jobs have disappeared, the consistent trend in the economy is towards higher-paying jobs that use the talent and skills of an educated workforce.

''What is most important is to search for jobs in the right place. EmploymentCrossing scours over 250,000 employer sites and more than 8,000 job boards for high-paying, active job listings, and posts them in the site’s revolutionary job database.''

According to Barnes, the top job types listed on EmploymentCrossing’s website are:

• Managerial jobs
• Healthcare jobs
• Information technology jobs
• Engineering jobs
• Accounting jobs
  

''With a highly trained team of researchers who personally screen each and every job posted on EmploymentCrossing’s portals, EmploymentCrossing seeks out, edits, approves, and tracks an elite collection of jobs in Illinois on an ongoing basis,'' Barnes says. ''EmploymentCrossing is not for everyone — we are exclusive and private, and only members have access to our job-opening research.''

Unlike other job boards that simply herd masses of job listings without looking back, EmploymentCrossing ensures quality and accuracy to prevent users from wasting time with outdated or filled jobs. There are over 2 million job listings at present on EmploymentCrossing’s site, and the number of jobs is expected to receive a major boost in the coming days. For more information, log on to www.employmentcrossing.com.

Contact:
Mary Waldron, Editorial Coordinator
EmploymentCrossing
626-243-1821
maryw@employmentcrossing.com

About EmploymentCrossing

EmploymentCrossing is a powerful and comprehensive organization dedicated to helping professionals find jobs that will enhance their careers. EmploymentCrossing consists of 90+ industry-specific job boards which consolidate every job opening they can find in one convenient location. The website also offers a seven-day free trial to new members.