Elgin unemployment office closing next week

Editor's note: This story was updated after IDES provided the correct customer service number.

After a lengthy anticipation, Elgin's unemployment office will close Aug. 20, officials said.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security office at 30 DuPage Court is being consolidated with the North Aurora location, said department spokeswoman Anjali Julka.

IDES had decided on the move in January 2014 as part of cost-saving measures and to provide better access to people with disabilities, Julka said. The Aurora office is also being consolidated into North Aurora, all of which will save nearly $450,000 in rent, she said.

Councilman Terry Gavin, who serves on the workforce development committee of the Elgin Development Group, announced at the city council meeting Wednesday that the Elgin office will close later this month. He said the group was told that by a local IDES representative who also serves on the committee.

"(The IDES representative) said they had been downsizing for months and had plans to close in June, but the state was dragging its feel in making a decision," Gavin said, adding the closure is not good news for Elgin because there are still many who need unemployment services.

According to the most recent data available, the Elgin office assisted 80 to 100 customers per day between June 10 and June 24, Julka said.

IDES data for the Chicago/Naperville/Arlington Heights area shows the unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in June, up from 6 percent in May. It was 7.3 percent in June 2014.

The department started an effort to move unemployment services online in 2006, which picked up momentum about a year ago. Much of the work now is done via Internet and phone.

The North Aurora office is at 2 Smoke Tree Plaza. Residents can also file claims online at www.ides.illinois.gov. If residents experience difficulty in filing online, they can call (800) 244-5631.

To post resumes, find a job or to find a qualified jobseeker, you can visit illinoisjoblink.com.