Unemployment slightly lower for area

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SPRINGFIELD – Over-the-year unemployment remains lower for Livingston County.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the county’s rate was at 8.7 percent in December 2010 and dropped to 8.1 percent last month.

Statewide, the December unemployment rate was essentially unchanged in five areas, dropped in three metro areas and increased in four areas compared to last year.

IDES director Jay Rowell says the state’s economy is moving forward despite the uneven nature of the national recovery.