August unemployment figures show little relief

Unemployment in Putnam County edged near 15% in August. The latest figures released Thursday from the Illinois Department of Employment Security show that Putnam County’s unemployment has more than doubled since the same time last year. The closing of Mittal Steel is mostly to blame. Mittal recently hired by 31 employees to removed machinery from the plant in Hennepin.
August unemployment in La Salle County was just over 12% and Bureau County unemployment was just over 10%.
In the Ottawa-Streator area the loss of manufacturing and construction jobs has driven up unemployment by nearly 8% since last summer.