Jobless Rate Rises in May, But There's Some Optimism in DuPage

Although the national unemployment numbers for May weren't good, prospects for job-seekers may be improving in DuPage County.

“We were looking good in the DuPage County area last month,” remarked Kimberly White, director of Naperville’s Community Career Center.

The center provides support to job-seekers, helping them write cover letters and resumes, finding job opportunities and using social networking to their advantage.

She said job prospects have improved greatly from this time last year, when only a handful of clients each month secured steady employment. (Now the monthly numbers have improved into the double digits.) While employers are scheduling interviews, White still says she hears “a lot of frustration” from those who have been out of work for more than eight or nine months.

“They’re just in a funk,” she said. “I think some of them are just ready to take a little break, clear their heads, figure out where they are, and get back into the search full-force in another couple weeks.”

The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent in May, the weakest reading since September, according to a Reuters report on HuffingtonPost.com.

The Labor Department reported private employment rose by 83,000 jobs, the lowest increase since June, according to the article. Government payrolls dropped 29,000.

The Community Career Center hosts Lisle Township’s weekly Job Club. Job-seekers utilize the club like a Toastmasters meeting, presenting short verbal resumes and practicing effective networking strategies. Job Club also meets at the Lisle Library for a keynote speaker’s address once a month.

“When it started they were packed in for Job Club—up the street and around the building,” recalls Lisle Library public relations director Rhonda Snelson. The library offers its own courses on resume writing and utilizing online resources, such as Monster.com. But recent presentations aren’t as heavily attended.

“I think perhaps Lisle isn’t being hit in the teeth as much as other communities. So we see them, but not in remarkably large numbers,” she said.

White believes the decline in Job Club participation could mean job-seekers are looking toward other resources. 

Organizations focusing on job placement are expanding the scope of their services to meet the needs of the unemployed. White said the Community Career Center is in the process of creating a job fair exclusively for veterans, working with local townships to identify those who have recently returned from military service.

The career center holds resume-writing workshops at the community food pantry Loaves & Fishes, addressing clients in need of both services. Lisle Township follows federal guidelines for its food pantry services.

While Job Club numbers aren't booming, food pantry director Bill Green said the demand for assistance has increased steadily each month over the last six months.

The township offers two programs: a 30-day disbursement (known as emergency food), and a perishables program (bread and produce items) three times each week.

“The people that typically are here as clients for the perishables are usually clients for the emergency food program,” Green said.

Roughly 427 homes—about 1,075 mouths—take advantage of the perishables program, while about 114 households are part of the 30-day distribution.

Additional resources:

Community Career Center
1815 Diehl Road, Suite 100 (behind Cracker Barrel), Naperville
(630) 961-5665

LDS Employment Resource Services
2951 Indiana Ave., Suite 400, Lisle
630-487-2181

workNet DuPage Career Center
2525 Cabot Drive, Suite 302, Lisle
630-955-2098