According to a new report, the unemployment has fallen in the five Sauk Valley-area counties during the month of November this year compared to the same month of the previous year.

According to the data released on Thursday by the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the jobless rate was 8.6 percent in November in Whiteside County compared to 9.6 percent in November 2011 and 8.9 percent in October. The data also showed that unemployment was at 8.2 percent in November in Lee County compared to 9.3 percent in the November of 2011 and 8.3 percent in October.

Greg Rivara, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Employment Security said, "That's significant, because 2008 was an important point in this economic cycle. It was in 2008 when the strain of the national recession was felt in every neighborhood in Illinois."

The data also showed that the number of unemployed people living in Lee, Whiteside, Ogle, and Carroll counties fell during the month of November compared to the same month of the previous year.

All five counties recorded fewer people working in November as unemployment is measures by the county where the unemployed person lives while employment is measures by the location of the job.