Progress Illinois

The Labor Dept. says the number of jobless claims filed last week rose, while new numbers from the Commerce Dept. show improved economic growth.

Illinois businesses have qualified for $67 million in federal tax credits for hiring veterans, SNAP recipients, and other state residents in need of employment.

New numbers from the Labor Department show that the nation's unemployment rate has fallen to 8.5 percent.

Illinois' unemployment rate has fallen slightly to 10 percent, according to new numbers by the Illinois Department of Unemployment Security.

One day after the Senate passed a massive corporate tax break package, Illinois House Republicans proposed a bill that would rollback the corporate income tax hike signed into law last year.

Chicagoans will be taking to the streets today to call for an extension of unemployment benefits as a push to "Save Christmas for the Unemployed."

Filed claims for unemployment benefits fell by 23,000 last week, reaching a nine-month low.