7 Illinois employment offices closing Friday

CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois Department of Employment Security is closing seven offices across the state.

The move will leave 192 people without jobs. But state officials say those employees will have the chance to fill open jobs elsewhere in state government. The Friday closures include offices in Centralia, DeKalb, East St. Louis, Galesburg, Jacksonville, Mattoon and Murphysboro. The department says the closures are due to federal budget reductions and falling unemployment insurance claims.

The closures mean the department will have shuttered 15 offices over the last year and a half. That includes four Chicago offices and facilities in Freeport, Litchfield, Mount Vernon and Pekin.

The department also has closed ten outpost locations and not filled more than 200 jobs since Oct. 1.