In May 2011, Illinois unemployment rate was the same as the national average, that is to say 9.1 percent. However, if you are unemployed and young, your chances of finding employment in Illinois are much slimmer. The Illinois unemployment rate for teenagers is 25.8, 1.6 percent higher than the national average 24.2 percent. The situation is even worse for Illinois black teenagers, which have an unemployment rate of 47.7 percent and Illinois Hispanic teenagers, which have an unemployment rate of 26 percent. White teenagers had an unemployment rate of 24.7 percent.

When you have a difficult task in front of you, it pays to have the right tools to get the job done. Having the tools is, of course, not enough. You need to know how to use them. Finding work in an economy like Illinois’, with an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent, is not an easy task. Illinois Skills Match provides the help, direction and resources you need to improve your chances of finding a new job.

So, What Is Illinois Skills Match?

The first thing you need to do if you become unemployed in Illinois is ensure you have an alternative income source. If you have savings, a real estate portfolio or have a rich uncle, this may not be a problem. Unfortunately, most of us are rather lacking in the rich relatives and real estate portfolio department. A more common method of ensuring a steady income during periods of financial instability is filing for unemployment benefits. You can do this online or over the phone. If you meet the requirements of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, you will receive a monetary disclosure letter detailing what weekly benefits you will receive and for how long. However, this is only the start. To begin receiving unemployment benefits you must file for your weekly benefits on a bi-weekly basis.

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