By Jason Porterfield

Three years after starting a day laborer's center on Chicago's Northwest Side, organizers now struggle to find jobs for local workers as the city's housing slump continues.

Homeowners and contractors come to the 3-year-old Albany Park Worker's Center to find temporary workers. The workers continue to use the space to look for work, but jobs are becoming scarce.

By Dara Belic

Some Illinois residents see ample opportunity amidst the state's diverse and growing job market. Others find it a huge challenge.

For 46-year-old Howard Touch, a 20-year resident of Chicago's South Side, the job market has been nothing but a source of stress and disappointment the past five years.

"The employment agencies I've worked with always told me the same thing: ‘Don't worry, with your certifications and experience, we'll find you a stable job in no time.' I'm still waiting," said Touch, who has been searching for a steady, full-time job in construction labor or warehouse supervision since 2002.

Touch is one of 363,800 unemployed Illinoisans among a labor force of 6,719,500, which is an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent, according to August 2007 data from the Illinois Workforce Information Center.

The unemployment rates for both Illinois and Chicago have increased since last year. Information from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) shows Illinois' rate has jumped nearly a percentage point since August 2006, when it was 4.5 percent.

By Dara Belic

Some of the 500 job seekers who attended a recent employment fair in the 2nd Ward said finding work is harder than it used to be. While a wide variety of job seekers visited the Oct. job fair, what many had in common was the experience of being laid off.

Recent layoffs have affected workers in Chicago, said Sam Johnson, a research and intelligence specialist with the Illinois National Guard, one of 48 employers at the fair.

"A lot of people here are victims of recent company downsizing and plant closures," said Johnson.

Greenpoint Mortgage Funding, Inc. is one of seven Illinois companies currently laying off workers as the company prepares to close its doors for good.

See how Marc Matlin unleashed his potential by quitting a day job and starting a dog walking business in Chicago. The story is courtesy of Mark Scheffler at businesspov.com. We are going to be featuring stories about jobs and working in Chicago, so please submit your stories and video to our new "working" beat.

RadioArte 90.5 FM invites elementary schoolers, teens and young adults (ages 5-21) to develop their "First Voice" in a 10-week vocational and leadership training program.

You must apply by July 8. Sessions begin on Aug. 8, 2007. Applications are here.