The number of employed people in DeKalb County increased by more than 1,300 from May 2011 to May 2012 – a very positive sign, said analyst Norm Walzer.

“We have more people in the workforce and fewer people unemployed,” said Walzer, a senior research fellow at the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies. “Right now, it looks like a good situation.”

DeKalb County’s unemployment rate continued its downward trend in May, falling to 7.9 percent, which is down from 8.3 percent in April, according to preliminary data released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.