Oswego Unemployment Climbs Over 200% Since August 2019

OSWEGO, IL — Oswego's unemployment rate dropped by 0.3 percent between July and August, but last month's figure was still 3 times higher than it was a year ago due to the coronavirus.

Statistics from the Illinois Department of Employment Security show 9.3 percent of Oswego's eligible workforce was unable to find a job in August 2020, up from 2.8 percent in August 2019. The city's unemployment rate was 9.6 percent in July, according to state data.

More than 30 Illinois municipalities with at least 20,000 people posted higher unemployment rates than Oswego in August, state statistics show.

The number of nonfarm jobs has decreased in all 14 of Illinois' metropolitan areas since the start of 2020, and no industry sector has posted job gains in a majority of those metro areas, according to the IDES.

Illinois' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reached 11 percent in August. Despite dropping half a percentage point since July, the state's unemployment rate was still nearly three times higher than it was in August 2019, IDES data shows.

The state's 11 percent unemployment rate for August was significantly higher than the national rate of 8.4 percent.

Since August 2019, the leisure and hospitality industry in Illinois has lost 143,700 jobs, the professional and business services sector lost 72,500, and the trade, transportation and utilities sector lost 53,400 jobs, according to the IDES.

Though the state's declining unemployment rate is encouraging, "there remains much to do to bring more Illinoisans safely back to work and to rebuild our economy," said Erin Guthrie, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Job seekers in Illinois can use the state's Get Hired Illinois website to find potential opportunities in their area and attend virtual job fairs and training workshops. Those who are looking for a job can also use Illinois Job Link, the state's largest search engine for employment opportunities.