Suburban unemployment numbers continue to rise

Unemployment in the suburbs has been escalating along with state and national figures. So it wasn't surprising to a Naperville career counselor that more people were coming through her door. The surprise was the type of people: higher-level professional workers.

"The higher-wage earner, those who likely could be replaced three-for-the-price-of-one, have been coming in," said Amy Webber, executive director of the Naperville-based Community Career Center, which offers job resources.

Naperville and all area suburbs have seen their jobless rates increase. Many have reached double-digit percentages, according to data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security in Chicago.

Elgin, Round Lake Beach, Carpentersville and other towns have reached 11 percent to 12 percent rates during September, the most recent figures available for individual towns.

Other towns weren't far behind, the data showed.

Click to enlargeThe rates show where unemployed people live, not where they work. The suburban numbers are different from, say, downstate where many people work and live in the same town. Suburban workers use all forms of transportation to often go great distances to work, said IDES spokesman Greg Rivara.Also, the higher rates here aren't necessarily due to the downturn in any particular sector, Rivara said. "It's no surprise that this recession has hit every job sector across the board," he said.The mounting challenges are evident in manufacturing, professional and business services, and construction, as well as just about any other area of business."White-collar jobs aren't immune," Rivara said. The local numbers continue to track the state and national trends, Rivara said.After all, the federal government said Friday that the national unemployment rate reached 10.2 percent for October, the first double-digit rate since 1983. Experts agreed it likely will continue to move higher, including on a local level. Illinois already reached 10.2 percent in September."If you look at the last 12 months, Illinois has been in line with national trends," Rivara said. <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=334655">Jobless rate tops 10 percent for first time since '83 <span class="date">[11/06/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>