Illinois Department of Employment Security statistics show that unemployment rates significantly increase during the summer months throughout the state of Illinois – and Champaign is no exception.

Although Champaign has a lower unemployment rate than the state average year round, it still experiences increases in unemployment during summer and winter breaks, said Tom Austin of the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s analysis division.

“A campus town like Champaign-Urbana, that relies on the students for most of its business, suffers a blow during the summer months and December and January when most students are gone,” he said.

According to the statistics, during the month of April, 3.5 percent of the Champaign population was unemployed; in May it increased to almost 5 percent.

Austin also said the increase will most likely remain constant throughout June, July and August as it has throughout past years.

Local businesses such as the T.I.S College Bookstore do not hire much over the summer because of the light workload, said the bookstore’s manager John Tichenor.

“Many tend to apply for retail positions at the mall or around campus, but retail suffers during the summer months. It’s much easier to find more seasonal jobs in landscaping or nursery industry,” he said.

Even the popular sandwich shop Jimmy John’s admits to having a much lower revenue now as opposed to during the school year. Assistant manager Kevin Raavel said almost no one is hired during the summer because of it.

“The amount of business is obvious right now, but we expect it to pick back up in the fall,” he said.

However there is something job-seeking students can do in order to secure a job for the fall said Raavel.

“Students should apply for fall positions early in the summer and apply for summer positions in mid-spring,” he said.