By Michael Sewall

Unemployment rates in Illinois dropped slightly from October 2012 to November, to 8.2 percent, and are a full percentage point compared to 2011, according to new figures released last week.

In St. Charles, the opposite was true, with the jobless rate increasing slightly on both the Kane County and DuPage County portions of the city from October to November 2012. Still, November rates were down from a year ago. 

November local unemployment rates fell in 11 of 12 metro areas compared to last year, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

“The trend of falling unemployment rates across Illinois shows that our economy continues to improve,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said. “The largest challenge to local economic growth is the fiscal cliff. Economic progress could slow at every level and we risk another recession if Congress does not work together to craft a solution.”

Last week, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act, which aims to increase taxes on the wealthy and also extends expiring jobless benefits.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security generally reports unemployment figures for municipalities with populations of 25,000 or more people. The numbers measure unemployment for residents who live in a certain town, not those who work in the town. 

Statewide the unemployment rate dropped from 8.4 percent in October 2012 to 8.2 percent in November. Compared to October 2011, unemployment in Illinois has dropped 1 percent. 

The U.S. average unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in November 2012. 

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